California Bill Strikes Back Against Disappearing Video Games

June 3, 2026 - 01:17

SACRAMENTO, CA - A new bill moving through the California legislature aims to stop video game companies from making paid digital games unplayable without warning. Assembly Bill 1921, introduced by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, would force publishers to give players a 60-day heads-up before shutting down the online services required to run a game they already bought.

The legislation specifically targets games that were sold for money and rely on internet connections or servers to function. Under the proposed law, if a company decides to pull the plug, it must offer players a full refund for any purchases made within the last year. More importantly, the publisher has to provide a way for the game to keep working offline, or release a version that does not need the company's servers. This could mean patching the game to run locally or handing over tools to let the community host its own servers.

Supporters argue that when a person buys a digital game, they should not lose access to it just because the company decides it is no longer profitable. The bill takes aim at a growing industry practice where older online games are simply deleted from existence, leaving customers with nothing. Critics, including some tech trade groups, say the rules are too broad and could be expensive for smaller developers. The bill has passed its first committee vote and now moves forward in the state legislature.