The bill against the shutdown of online games was supported in the California Assembly
The majority of the members of the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee voted in favor of it.
Concord
The discussion centers around a bill codenamed AB 1921, also known as the Protect Our Games Act. It was introduced to the Assembly in February by one of its members, Chris Ward. According to the politician, he aims to protect gamers' rights with this bill.
AB 1921 is largely directed at combating the shutdown of online games. For example, the bill proposes a restriction against shutting down servers without prior notice: companies would be required to announce their plans 60 days in advance. Furthermore, after this, developers would either have to release an offline mode or refund the gamers.
Interestingly, the bill was developed with the support of the Stop Killing Games team — the creators of a similar initiative that recently reached hearings in the European Parliament.
Although the bill was approved by the Appropriations Committee, it is still far from becoming law. The next step will be a vote among all Assembly members. If it receives a majority here as well, the document will be sent to California Governor Gavin Newsom for signing.
Meanwhile, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which includes major companies like Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Capcom, and Epic Games, has publicly opposed AB 1921. The association believes that the bill will ultimately harm the gaming industry. As ESA explains, if AB 1921 is passed, developers will have to spend more time and money maintaining infrastructure for older games instead of focusing on new developments.