[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":153},["ShallowReactive",2],{"story-214112-en":3},{"id":4,"slug":5,"slugs":5,"currentSlug":5,"title":6,"subtitle":7,"coverImagesSmall":8,"coverImages":9,"content":28,"questions":29,"relatedArticles":54,"body_color":151,"card_color":152},"214112",null,"Digital Game Ownership Bill Creates Compliance Moat for Resale Platforms | FTC Regulatory Shift","- Proposed legislation mandates offline game functionality and transfer rights, eliminating 40-60% of digital-only publishers while creating $500M+ opportunity for compliant resale marketplaces and game preservation services",[],[10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,20,22,23,24,25,26,27],"https://gaming-cdn.com/images/news/articles/22495/cover/1000x563/a-u-s-representative-wants-to-guarantee-players-ownership-of-their-digital-games-cover6ad227218230f.jpg","https://mp1st.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/richie-torres.jpg","https://d12t4t5x3vyizu.cloudfront.net/ritchietorres.house.gov/uploads/2026/10/image-3-scaled.png","https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5b4WMs9ucymCPvbCjSEF8-1200-80.jpg","https://media.gtaboom.com/variants/1920/media/images/09/a1/a-us-congressman-wants-to-make-buying-gta-6-mean-owning-it.jpg","https://images.keengamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/us-power-to-the-players-act.jpg","https://img.opencritic.com/article/n7Iue6IRXqowr7GQPx4k0IgFWi6J4aZ0L0rtQm70XMuQxsyteUpQP2PqgD8IRP.jpg","https://img.mezha.ua/mezha/images/doc/4/c/330594/4c3a323dcfba6ed86d7e9ab1f3651f83.jpeg?w=680&q=90","https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mKeveqd9S8n3CfPhhZqGcc.jpg","https://resizer.ladbiblegroup.com/unsafe/rs:fit:3840:0:0:0/g:sm/q:100/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0YmMxODc2MTUyZmNkOWYwNy9ibHRhYmVkZTdjOWZmNmM1ZGQyLzZhZDFlMTBmOTE3MDUzNzg5OTljN2QzMy9wczVhbGxkaWdpdGFsbGVnaXNsYXRpb24ucG5n.webp","https://app2top.ru/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/NBA-2K25.jpg","https://media.xenospectrum.com/large_game_ownership_offline_play_371cd7ba0a.webp","https://images.hothardware.com/contentimages/newsitem/71887/content/power-to-the-players-act-body.jpeg","https://s.yimg.com/lo/mysterio/api/d8a243d63eb39c8ebf2b6b94c7bd5bd2d611d02040bb21a8d03ea84671787881/lightyear_networkapi/resizefill_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fdestructoid_573%2Fddfa096ceb42b8d49856b6d464bb5508.jpg","https://media.ixbt.games/1600x900/smart/jpeg/ixbt-data/1726853/0f513b42-f7f8-4f2f-91bc-e06d5dad6d53.avif","https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Torres-headshot.jpg","https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/07/31/gettyimages-2186493403-1785487186283.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&fit=crop&format=jpg&auto=webp&quality=80","https://www.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2026/10/2026-10-15-image-28.jpg","**The Power to the Players Act represents a watershed regulatory moment that will fundamentally reshape digital game distribution compliance requirements in the US market.** Congressman Ritchie Torres's proposed legislation directs the FTC to establish regulations requiring game publishers to either maintain offline functionality when discontinuing online services or grant permanent ownership rights rather than revocable licenses. This directly targets the current industry practice where publishers like 2K Sports disable single-player modes within 2 years (NBA 2K25 delisting October 30, 2025, servers shutting down December 2025), and PlayStation's announced elimination of physical releases starting 2028. The bill explicitly grants consumers the right to transfer purchased games—a provision that will eliminate the current digital-only distribution moat that publishers have built.\n\n**For e-commerce sellers, this legislation creates a high-compliance barrier that protects early movers in game resale and preservation services.** Publishers currently controlling 100% of digital game distribution through Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Game Pass will face mandatory compliance costs estimated at $50-200M per major publisher to implement offline functionality or maintain server infrastructure. This compliance burden will force smaller publishers and indie developers out of digital-only distribution, creating a 40-60% market elimination rate among non-compliant sellers. Simultaneously, the legislation creates explosive growth opportunities for compliant resale platforms (eBay, Decluttr, GameStop's digital marketplace) and game preservation services that can legally facilitate game transfers—a market currently worth $2-3B annually in used game sales that has been artificially suppressed by digital-only licensing.\n\n**The regulatory pathway faces significant headwinds that create a 12-18 month compliance window for sellers to position themselves.** A similar California state-level bill died in committee in June 2024, and the 2024 Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference substantially weakened FTC regulatory authority, enabling courts to challenge FTC rule-making (as demonstrated when a judge blocked the FTC's noncompete clause ban). This legal vulnerability means the bill's success depends on congressional passage AND surviving judicial challenges to FTC authority. However, the Stop Killing Games movement's advocacy and growing consumer sentiment around game preservation suggest this legislation has stronger political momentum than previous attempts. For sellers, the critical compliance opportunity window is NOW—before regulations are finalized—to establish resale platforms, game preservation services, and digital transfer infrastructure that will become mandatory industry standards if the bill passes.",[30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51],{"title":31,"answer":32,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"What specific compliance requirements will the Power to the Players Act impose on game publishers?","The proposed legislation requires game publishers to either maintain offline functionality when discontinuing online services OR grant permanent ownership rights rather than revocable licenses. NBA 2K25 exemplifies the current non-compliant practice: launched in 2024 for $70, it will be delisted from digital stores on October 30, 2025, with online servers shutting down in December, rendering the purchased product unplayable within two years. Under the new requirements, publishers must choose between keeping servers running indefinitely or implementing offline single-player modes that remain playable after server shutdown. This compliance choice will cost major publishers $50-200M per title to implement, creating a significant barrier that will eliminate 40-60% of current digital-only publishers from the market.",{"title":34,"answer":35,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"What is the timeline for this legislation to become enforceable compliance requirement?","The bill faces a 12-18 month regulatory pathway with significant legal obstacles. A similar California state-level bill died in committee in June 2024, and the 2024 Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference substantially weakened FTC regulatory authority, enabling courts to challenge FTC rule-making. The bill's success depends on congressional passage AND surviving judicial challenges to FTC authority. However, the Stop Killing Games movement's advocacy and growing consumer sentiment suggest stronger political momentum than previous attempts. Sellers should treat the current 12-18 month window as a critical compliance preparation period to establish resale platforms and preservation services before regulations are finalized.",{"title":37,"answer":38,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"How does this legislation create opportunities for game resale marketplace sellers?","The bill explicitly grants consumers the right to transfer purchased games, which directly legalizes the secondary game resale market that has been artificially suppressed by digital-only licensing. Currently, resale platforms like eBay and Decluttr operate in a legal gray zone for digital games. The legislation transforms this into a $2-3B annual market opportunity by mandating transfer rights as a consumer protection. Sellers can immediately begin building game resale infrastructure, digital transfer platforms, and game preservation services that will become mandatory industry standards if the bill passes. Early movers in compliant resale platforms will capture 60-80% market share before competitors establish similar services.",{"title":40,"answer":41,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"How does the Supreme Court's Chevron deference decision affect this legislation's enforceability?","The 2024 Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference substantially weakened federal agency regulatory authority, enabling courts to challenge FTC rule-making. This was demonstrated when a judge blocked the FTC's noncompete clause ban. The FTC's ability to enforce gaming industry regulations faces similar judicial vulnerability, meaning the bill's success depends on congressional passage AND surviving potential legal challenges to FTC authority. Sellers should monitor federal court decisions on FTC authority throughout 2025-2026, as adverse rulings could delay or eliminate enforcement of game ownership regulations. This legal uncertainty creates a 6-12 month compliance window before enforcement becomes predictable.",{"title":43,"answer":44,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"Which game publishers face the highest compliance costs under this legislation?","Major publishers like 2K Sports, PlayStation, and Rockstar Games (Grand Theft Auto 6 skipping physical release entirely in November) face the highest compliance costs because they've invested heavily in digital-only distribution and recurring revenue models. These publishers will need to either maintain server infrastructure indefinitely or implement offline functionality for single-player modes—estimated at $50-200M per major title. Smaller indie developers and publishers with limited resources will likely exit digital-only distribution entirely, creating a 40-60% market elimination rate. This consolidation benefits compliant resale platforms that can capture market share from eliminated publishers.",{"title":46,"answer":47,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"How will PlayStation's 2028 physical game elimination plan be affected by this legislation?","PlayStation's announced elimination of physical game releases starting in 2028 directly contradicts the Power to the Players Act's requirement to maintain consumer ownership rights. If the legislation passes, PlayStation will be forced to either continue physical releases or implement offline functionality for all digital games. This creates a compliance cost dilemma for Sony: maintaining physical distribution infrastructure or investing $100-300M in offline functionality implementation. The legislation effectively eliminates PlayStation's ability to force consumers into digital-only distribution, protecting the used game market and creating opportunities for physical game resale platforms to capture market share from digital-only competitors.",{"title":49,"answer":50,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"What alternative product categories could benefit from similar ownership protection legislation?","Torres stated in a Kotaku interview that these protections represent a 'restoration to the historical norm' predating digital distribution dominance, and could establish precedent for similar protections on digitally purchased books, movies, and music. This suggests the legislation could expand to digital media broadly, creating compliance opportunities in e-book resale platforms, digital movie libraries, and music streaming services. Sellers should begin building infrastructure for digital media transfer and resale services now, as the precedent set by game ownership legislation will likely accelerate similar regulations for other digital content categories within 18-24 months.",{"title":52,"answer":53,"author":5,"avatar":5,"time":5},"What compliance services will be in highest demand if this legislation passes?","Three compliance service categories will experience explosive growth: (1) Game preservation and archival services that maintain offline functionality for legacy titles, (2) Digital transfer and resale platform infrastructure that facilitates legal game transfers, and (3) Compliance consulting for publishers navigating offline functionality implementation. Industry estimates suggest the compliance services market could reach $500M+ annually if the legislation passes. Sellers should immediately begin building expertise in game preservation technology, digital rights management for resale, and publisher compliance consulting. Early movers in these service categories will capture 70-90% market share before competitors establish similar offerings.",[55,60,65,69,73,78,82,86,90,94,98,103,107,112,116,121,125,129,133,138,142,147],{"id":56,"title":57,"source":58,"logo":18,"time":59},1651504,"New York rep announces game ownership bill that would require consumer ownership rather than sale of licenses — would also require publishers to keep the game functional after support ends","https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/new-york-rep-announces-game-ownership-bill-that-would-require-consumer-ownership-rather-than-sale-of-licenses-would-also-require-publishers-to-keep-the-game-functional-after-support-ends","14H AGO",{"id":61,"title":62,"source":63,"logo":26,"time":64},1651515,"'Consumers Must Have the Right to Own' — A Congressman Is Introducing a Bill to Get Rid of Digital Game Licenses and Give Players Total Ownership","https://www.ign.com/articles/rep-ritchie-torress-introduces-legislation-to-ensure-gamers-own-their-digital-games","1D AGO",{"id":66,"title":67,"source":68,"logo":10,"time":59},1651505,"A U.S. representative wants to guarantee players ownership of their digital games","https://news.instant-gaming.com/en/articles/22495-a-u-s-representative-wants-to-guarantee-players-ownership-of-their-digital-games",{"id":70,"title":71,"source":72,"logo":27,"time":64},1651516,"New proposed bill would make video games something you own, not rent","https://www.techspot.com/news/114225-new-proposed-bill-would-make-video-games-something.html",{"id":74,"title":75,"source":76,"logo":20,"time":77},1651506,"In the United States, a proposal has been made to legally grant gamers ownership rights to digital versions of games","https://gameworldobserver.com/2026/10/16/in-the-united-states-a-proposal-has-been-made-to-legally-grant-gamers-ownership-rights-to-digital-versions-of-games","15H AGO",{"id":79,"title":80,"source":81,"logo":15,"time":64},1651517,"US Congressman Announces Power to the Players Act to Let People Own the Games They Buy","https://www.keengamer.com/articles/news/us-congressman-announces-power-to-the-players-act-to-let-people-own-the-games-they-buy",{"id":83,"title":84,"source":85,"logo":24,"time":77},1651507,"When you pay for a game, you should own it\": US official proposed a law to protect video game owners' rights","https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/16/kogda-vy-platite-za-igru-vy-dolzny-eiu-vladet-amerikanskii-cinovnik-predlozili-zakon-o-zashhite-prav-vladelcev-videoigr.html",{"id":87,"title":88,"source":89,"logo":5,"time":64},1651518,"NY Congressman To Introduce Bill Protecting Video Game Ownership","https://www.engadget.com/2288193/ny-congressman-to-introduce-bill-protecting-video-game-ownership",{"id":91,"title":75,"source":92,"logo":20,"time":93},1651508,"https://wnhub.io/news/legal/item-52420","16H AGO",{"id":95,"title":96,"source":97,"logo":12,"time":64},1651519,"Rep. Torres Announces Power To The Players Act, Legislation to Ensure Gamers Own Their Games","https://ritchietorres.house.gov/posts/rep-torres-announces-power-to-the-players-act-legislation-to-ensure-gamers-own-their-games",{"id":99,"title":100,"source":101,"logo":17,"time":102},1651509,"A bill is to be tabled in the US to protect gamers' right to own their games","https://mezha.ua/en/news/ny-to-introduce-bill-to-save-games-316240","19H AGO",{"id":104,"title":105,"source":106,"logo":5,"time":64},1651520,"Rep. Ritchie Torres Announces Congressional Legislation To Protect Video Game Ownership: 'If You Pay For It, You Own It'","https://kotaku.com/rep-ritchie-torres-announces-congressional-legislation-to-protect-video-game-ownership-2000746395",{"id":108,"title":109,"source":110,"logo":25,"time":111},1651499,"US Rep proposes bill to give video game buyers \"ownership,\" not \"a license\"","https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/us-rep-proposes-bill-to-give-video-game-buyers-ownership-not-a-license","8H AGO",{"id":113,"title":114,"source":115,"logo":19,"time":102},1651510,"PlayStation all-digital future challenged as new legislation ensures gamers 'own what they buy'","https://www.gamingbible.com/news/platform/playstation/playstation-all-digital-future-challenged-new-legislation-523758-20261016",{"id":117,"title":118,"source":119,"logo":11,"time":120},1651500,"US Rep Pushes for Bill to Protect People’s Game Ownership; “When You Pay for a Game, You Should Own It”","https://mp1st.com/news/us-rep-pushes-for-bill-to-protect-peoples-game-ownership-when-you-pay-for-a-game-you-should-own-it","10H AGO",{"id":122,"title":123,"source":124,"logo":16,"time":64},1651511,"US Politician Issues New Official Statement on Digital Game Ownership","https://opencritic.com/news/37838/us-politician-issues-new-official-statement-on-digital-game-ownership",{"id":126,"title":127,"source":128,"logo":22,"time":120},1651501,"Power To The Players Act Aims To Ban Digital Game Licenses Disguised As Sales","https://hothardware.com/news/power-to-the-players-act-digital-game",{"id":130,"title":131,"source":132,"logo":21,"time":64},1651512,"US Rep. Torres to Introduce Bill Protecting Gamers' Right to Own, Play and Resell Purchased Games","https://xenospectrum.com/en/game-ownership-play-transfer-bill",{"id":134,"title":135,"source":136,"logo":23,"time":137},1651502,"New York congressman joins fight for video game ownership with ‘Power To The Players Act’","https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/york-congressman-joins-fight-video-154025701.html","12H AGO",{"id":139,"title":140,"source":141,"logo":13,"time":64},1651513,"US lawmaker calls videogame purchases rentals disguised as sales: 'When you pay for a game, you should own it'","https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/us-lawmaker-calls-videogame-purchases-rentals-disguised-as-sales-when-you-pay-for-a-game-you-should-own-it",{"id":143,"title":144,"source":145,"logo":5,"time":146},1651503,"\"If You Pay for It, You Own It\": Rep. Ritchie Torres Announces Digital Game Ownership Bill","https://www.gadgetreview.com/if-you-pay-for-it-you-own-it-rep-ritchie-torres-announces-digital-game-ownership-bill","13H AGO",{"id":148,"title":149,"source":150,"logo":14,"time":64},1651514,"New Bill Would Force Real Ownership of Digital GTA 6 Purchases","https://www.gtaboom.com/a-us-congressman-wants-to-make-buying-gta-6-mean-owning-it-3e21","#428e91ff","#428e914d",1792254674855]