Overview
- The California State Assembly approved AB 1921 by a 43–16 vote on Sunday, sending the Protect Our Games Act to the State Senate for committee consideration and further votes.
- Under the bill, publishers would have to give at least 60 days' public notice before shutting down servers and then either provide an offline or independent version, patch the game to work without the operator's services, or issue full refunds to buyers.
- AB 1921 would apply only to paid games released or resold on or after January 1, 2027 and would not cover subscription‑based or free‑to‑play titles, narrowing the law's reach.
- Industry groups including the Entertainment Software Association and Video Games Europe oppose the proposal, saying mandatory offline builds and code releases raise costs, licensing and security challenges and could divert developer resources.
- The vote marks a major win for the Stop Killing Games movement that has lobbied in the EU and U.S., and analysts warn the law as written could push more live‑service projects toward free‑to‑play or subscription models to avoid the bill's obligations.