California’s AB (Protect Our Games Act) would force publishers to offer an offline/independent play patch or refunds 60 days before shutting down online game servers.
Key Takeaways
The bill passed the Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection and Judiciary committees but still needs full Assembly and Senate majorities plus Newsom’s signature.
ESA argues consumers hold a license, not ownership, and that mandatory perpetual playability could make time-limited music and IP licenses legally impossible to renegotiate.
Publishers must give 60 days notice before ceasing services and provide either an independent-play patch or refunds – subscription-only games appear to be treated differently.
Stop Killing Games movement backs the bill; UK parliamentary momentum on the same issue has stalled since November 2025.
Hacker News Comment Review
Dominant commenter concern: the bill creates a perverse incentive to shift all games to subscription or free-to-play models, which would satisfy the letter of the law while eliminating refund obligations entirely.
Developers actually sunsetting games note that open-sourcing server code sounds simple but is legally expensive inside large corporations due to third-party IP entanglement – the same IP problem the ESA flagged.
Technical commenters pushed back on complexity claims, arguing that exposing a configurable server URL and documenting the API contract is a minimal viable path that lets communities self-host without publisher ongoing cost.
Notable Comments
@tyleo: Currently shutting down an online game; warns the bill raises launch risk more than it helps players, given brutal game economics.
@speedylight: Notes California’s de facto national reach – companies rarely ship separate non-compliant builds for other states.
