California's "Game Preservation Act" passes successfully: publishers must provide a "full refund" or retain a "standalone offline version" before discontinuing service

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California's "Protect Our Games Act" (AB 1921) passed the Appropriations Committee review by an 11-to-2 vote, just one step away from a full chamber vote. The bill mandates that game publishers must provide full refunds before discontinuing services, or release an independently operable offline version. The scope covers all paid games launched in California after January 1, 2027. (Background: 麻吉大哥 joins the shark investor lineup of Taiwan's version of *Shark Tank*) (Context: Vitalik criticizes the EU Digital Services Act's "zero-space" governance: A free society must tolerate dissent, do not walk down the path of internet totalitarianism) AB 1921 passed the California Assembly Appropriations Committee in mid-May by an 11-to-2 vote, marking a significant milestone following its passage through the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee and the Judiciary Committee — three consecutive hurdles cleared. The state legislature is rewriting the rules governing the lifecycle of digital games. The Protect Our Games Act will next be sent to the full chamber for a vote, and if passed, will become law. Under the current version, the bill sets two pathways for publishers who "discontinue online game services": - Provide full refunds to players who purchased the game - Release an independently operable updated version — that is, an offline or community version that can continue to be played without relying on the publisher's servers In addition, publishers must notify players 60 days in advance before discontinuing "services necessary for normal use of the game." The bill includes two exemption clauses: - Completely free games are not subject to the regulation - Games "available only during a subscription period" are likewise exempt If the bill passes smoothly, the timeline is as follows: starting January 1, 2027, all paid games launched in California must comply. One of the driving forces behind the bill is the British player advocacy group Stop Killing Games (SKG). The organization was founded in 2024 after Ubisoft announced the shutdown of its online racing game *The Crew*, with the goal of preventing situations where players purchase a game only to find it unplayable due to service discontinuation. SKG director Monitz Katzner wrote on Reddit: "Shortly before Christmas, when I flew to the US to help prepare SKG-US, I never imagined we would get this far this quickly." The bill was originally introduced by California Assembly Member Chris Ward, and SKG stated that it "helped draft" the legislation. However, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a lobbying organization representing major game publishers, has explicitly opposed the bill. The ESA warns that if the law mandates publishers to release offline versions, the associated development and maintenance costs could place a heavy burden on small and medium-sized game developers, and may even affect overall industry investment willingness. However, advocates counter: products that players purchase with real money should not "vanish into thin air" simply because a publisher unilaterally decides to discontinue service. The bill's design logic is similar to general consumer protection laws: a purchased product must be usable. The bill is now entering the full chamber vote stage. If California takes the lead in legislating, it could set a precedent for digital product consumer protection in other states and even across the United States.

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Published:2026-05-17 02:38:17

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