Game preservation just got a foothold in American law. The California Assembly passed the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921) by a bipartisan vote of 43-16, marking the first time a Stop Killing Games-aligned bill has cleared a legislative chamber in the United States.
The bill now heads to the California State Senate for a committee debate in June. That is not a rubber stamp, but clearing the Assembly with that margin signals real political appetite for consumer protection in gaming.
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What the Protect Our Games Act actually requires
Here's the lowdown on what AB 1921 would do if it clears the Senate and becomes law. Publishers would need to give players advance notice before shutting down server-dependent games. Beyond the warning, they would also be required to provide a way to keep purchased games playable after shutdown. That could mean offline access, community-run servers, or another workable option the publisher can demonstrate.
Two scope details matter here. First, the bill only covers purchased games. Free-to-play titles are not included, so a battle royale you downloaded for free sits outside this legislation regardless of how much money you spent on skins. Second, it would only apply to games released after January 2027, meaning your existing library of already-shuttered games is not covered retroactively.
The bill still needs to pass a California Senate committee in June before it can move further. It is not law yet.
Assembly member Chris Ward from San Diego championed the bill, framing it as a consumer protection issue. He described it as "fighting for your consumer protection and full right and enjoyment of these games" and is actively encouraging California residents to contact their State Senator to push the bill forward.
The movement behind the bill
The Stop Killing Games campaign was launched by YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024, sparked directly by Ubisoft pulling the plug on the always-online racing game The Crew. Players who had purchased the game found it completely unplayable overnight, with no offline fallback and no recourse. The SKG campaign's core argument is simple: publishers are selling games as products, then destroying those products on a schedule that suits only the publisher.
The movement gained traction in the UK and EU before finding legislative ground in the US. California is a logical first battleground given its size, its tech-industry concentration, and its history of setting consumer protection standards that other states eventually follow.
The list of games that illustrate the problem keeps growing. Sony's Concord shut down just 14 days after launch. Sony offered refunds but pursued legal action against modders who built community servers to keep it alive. Ubisoft's XDefiant, the fantasy shooter Highguard, the PUBG spin-off Blindspot, and Quantic Dream's Spellcasters Chronicles all followed. Even Destiny 2 is winding down its live-service model. The pattern is hard to ignore.
What this means for players right now
For most players outside California, this bill does not change anything today. What it does do is prove the argument has legs in a US legislative chamber. The key here is that California law, when passed, often functions as a de facto national standard because publishers rarely want to maintain separate versions of a product for one state.
If you want to see this pass, Ward's office has pointed California residents toward their State Senator. Those outside California can contact the Chair of the Senate Privacy Committee directly to express support.
The Stop Killing Games movement has been building a case across multiple countries simultaneously. A California law would be the first concrete win in the US, and given how the EU and UK debates have played out, the Senate committee debate in June is the next critical checkpoint. Keep an eye on our game reviews to see how live-service games hold up as this legislation develops, and check out our gaming guides for tips on getting the most out of the online games you own right now.
