The California State Assembly has passed Assembly Bill 1921, the Protect Our Games Act, in a landmark ruling on game preservation.
Consumer movement Stop Killing Games – which aims to bring attention to the depreciation of online media after Ubisoft pulled The Crew not only from its servers but also from customers’ libraries, too – called it a “big update for game preservation.”
After the floor vote passed by 43-16, championed by San Diego Assembly Member Chris Ward, the organization said: “Th[is] bill would require video game companies to give players advance notice before shutting down server-dependent games and provide a way to keep purchased games playable afterward, such as offline access, community servers, or another workable option.”
Now the bill heads to the California State Senate, where it will require “public support to keep moving forward.”
Last year, Stop Killing Games gathered enough momentum to necessitate a response from “the voice of a responsible games ecosystem,” Video Games Europe. A similar UK petition hit 10,000 signatories in February 2025, at which point the UK Government was obliged to respond.
However, while the UK Government said it “recognize[d] concerns raised by video games users regarding the operability of purchased products” and “are aware of issues relating to the life-span of digital content, including video games,” it has “no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence.” It did, however, promise to monitor the issue via the Competition and Market Authority (CMA).
