The proposal originated from a constituent in San Diego who was frustrated by seeing a game shut down shortly after making recent purchases.
A California bill supported by the Stop Killing Games movement has cleared a State Assembly vote, moving the proposed legislation to the next stage of the process.
California State Assembly member Chris Ward announced in a video published on the Stop Killing Games YouTube channel that AB-1921, known as the Protect Our Games Act, passed with a 43-16 vote. Additional details were also shared in a Reddit post, stating that the bill received strong Democratic support alongside two Republican votes in favour. Opposition came from one Democrat and 15 Republicans.
What is California's Protect Our Games Act?
AB-1921 would introduce requirements for companies operating server-dependent games before support can be terminated.
According to details shared by Stop Killing Games on Reddit, publishers would need to provide at least 60 days' notice before shutting down affected titles. Companies would then be required to either offer a way for owners to continue playing the game or provide refunds.
The proposal outlines options such as community-run servers or some form of offline access that would allow players to continue using games after official support ends.
Protect Our Games Act heads to California State Senate
Following its passage in the Assembly, the bill will move to the California State Senate. "It's over in the state senate now, and we're going to be able to debate that in committee in the month of June," Ward said in his video.
Ward also explained that the proposal originated from a constituent in San Diego who was frustrated by seeing a game shut down shortly after making recent purchases. He encouraged California residents to contact their state senators and explain why the issue matters to them as gamers or developers.
How did the Stop Killing Games movement begin?
The consumer movement was launched by YouTuber Ross Scott in April 2024 after Ubisoft announced plans to delist and take its open-world racing game The Crew offline, leaving owners without access.
Since then, the campaign has focused on video game preservation and keeping titles accessible after publishers discontinue them. Stop Killing Games argues that the industry has increasingly moved toward removing access to games after launch.
The movement has pointed to titles including Concord, Anthem, and Highguard as recent examples.
Stop Killing Games continues to gain support
The campaign's European Citizens' Initiative reached one million unverified signatures in July 2025 before growing to 1.4 million signatures in January this year.
Earlier this month, European politicians discussed the initiative's game preservation goals and were expected to provide a response in the coming weeks.
While the California bill has advanced, Ward said there is still significant work ahead before the broader objective of ensuring games remain playable after publishers end support is achieved.
The issue remains relevant as publishers continue to discontinue games and online services. Sony recently announced plans to delist and shut down PlayStation 5 title Destruction AllStars, while publisher 2K confirmed it would remove Lego 2K Drive from sale and end its online functionality.
