California Legislature Advances Bill to Preserve Online Game Access
The California Assembly's appropriations committee has advanced the Protect Our Games Act, a bill designed to ensure long-term access to online games. This legislation mandates that digital game publishers must either provide a full refund or an updated version of a game if they decide to cease support for it. Additionally, publishers are required to notify players 60 days in advance before discontinuing services necessary for the game's ordinary use. The bill, which excludes completely free games and those offered solely through subscriptions, applies to games sold in California from January 1, 2027, onwards. The grassroots movement Stop Killing Games (SKG), which emerged after the shutdown of Ubisoft's The Crew in 2024, has been a significant advocate for this bill. Despite opposition from the Entertainment Software Association, which argues that the bill imposes unreasonable expectations on publishers, the legislation has gained traction with an 11-2 committee vote. 
