California’s Protect Our Games Act Stalls in Senate Committee

Assemblymember Chris Ward introduced the Protect Our Games Act in February to require notice before shutting down paid online games. After passing the Assembly 43-16 in late May, the bill reached the Senate’s Business, Professions and Economic Development committee. On June 5 the committee voted four-yes, three-no, and four-abstain, missing the majority of yes votes needed to advance. Members unanimously voted to grant the measure reconsideration, leaving its future uncertain.

California Bill to Preserve Online Games Fails Senate Vote

The bill would obligate publishers and “digital game operators” to give a 60-day notice before ending online support, explain which features would stop, and provide either a refund, an offline version, or a patch enabling continued play. Subscription-based and free-to-play titles would be exempt. MultiVersus is cited as a consumer-friendly example, having received an update that let logged-in players keep playing offline after its servers closed.

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) argued that permitting private or community-run servers—citing Minecraft—would be “illegal” and violate intellectual-property rights. Senate committee members’ unanimous vote to reconsider the bill signals procedural openness despite the initial defeat.

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Opponents argue that mandating offline versions imposes significant technical and financial burdens on developers, especially for live-service games with complex server architectures. The ESA’s lobbying stresses legal risks for user-hosted servers. Stop Killing Games volunteers emphasized that abstentions act as de-facto “no” votes and highlighted the campaign’s zero-budget status and lack of in-person lobbying. Sources differ on whether abstentions are neutral or effectively negative, revealing a reporting gap.

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote

Sources agree on the 4-yes, 3-no, 4-abstain tally, but one source describes abstentions as neutral while another says they function as de-facto negatives. No ESA position paper or Senate majority-leader comment was released.

California Bill to Preserve Online Games Fails Senate Vote

• “Not enough yeses means the bill stops here for this session,” — u/Mr_Presidentle, Stop Killing Games volunteer

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• “Those abstentions matter. In a committee vote, an abstention is not neutral. It has the same practical effect as a no, because a bill only advances if it gets a majority of yes votes.” — Stop Killing Games campaign representative

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote

• “Next session, we come back with an in-person lobbying presence, the funding to do this properly.” — Stop Killing Games campaign organizer

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote

• “This was our first attempt, in our first year, in the United States, with a US budget of zero dollars.” — Stop Killing Games spokesperson

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote

The campaign plans to re-file the bill in the next legislative session with dedicated lobbying resources and to pursue comparable measures in other states and at the federal level. Future success will depend on whether additional industry support can offset ESA opposition and whether the Senate’s reconsideration leads to a full vote.

California Bill Requiring Paid Games to Remain Playable After Shutdown Fails Senate Vote