Lawmaker Moves to Give Game Buyers Full Ownership Instead of Licenses

October 18, 2026 - 15:32

Representative Ritchie Torres has announced plans for the Power To The Players Act, a bill aimed at changing how video game purchases work. Under the proposal, buying a game would mean owning it outright rather than receiving a license that can be revoked. The bill has not yet been filed in the House.

The announcement touches on a long-running frustration among players. Digital storefronts commonly sell games as licenses, which means access can be cut off if a storefront closes or a publisher pulls a title. Buyers often discover they do not control the software they paid for, and refunds are rarely an option in those situations.

Torres framed the legislation as a consumer protection measure. The idea is simple on its face: if someone pays for a game, they should keep it. How the bill would define ownership and enforce it across platforms remains unclear until the text is released. Questions about resale rights, preservation, and how subscription services fit into the rules are likely to shape the debate.

The proposal arrives as digital distribution dominates the market and as players grow louder about losing access to purchased content. Industry groups have historically defended license agreements as necessary for security and intellectual property protection. Whether the bill gains traction in the House is uncertain, but the announcement alone has renewed attention on what it actually means to buy a game.