“We were only three votes away”: Stop Killing Games-backed California bill to keep online games playable fails to win over senate committee
The Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), a California bill backed by the Stop Killing Games campaign, has failed to pass a senate committee vote. The legislation aimed to require game publishers to either provide players with playable versions of online games when shutting down servers or issue full refunds to consumers.
According to the Stop Killing Games campaign, the bill fell just short of the necessary votes during the committee voting process, coming “three votes away” from passage. This narrow defeat temporarily halts the bill’s progress through California’s legislature, though it represents a significant effort to address game preservation issues, particularly regarding games-as-a-service titles that become unplayable when publishers discontinue server support.
Despite the setback, the Stop Killing Games campaign has indicated it intends to pursue the legislation again, stating they will do so “with the funding to do this properly.” This suggests a more robust effort is planned for future legislative sessions, reflecting the campaign’s commitment to consumer protection measures surrounding digital purchases and the right to play games after official support ends.