The Stop Killing Games movement has just seen a big success in California, as the state assembly has passed a bill for the Protect Our Games Act. The bill proposes improving consumer rights around games so that players don't lose access to the titles they've bought.
Games shutting down completely and leaving players with no access has been a frustration among gamers for a long time. When Ubisoft ended support for The Crew, the game went offline and became unplayable, and was delisted from digital stores. The Stop Killing Games movement began because of that, and has been gradually making headway since.
52 Games Have Already Been Shut Down in 2026
It's always sad when players can no longer access a game after server support ends, and 2026 has unfortunately seen a high number of game shutdowns.
Stop Killing Games Movement Sees Success in California
The Stop Killing Games movement has been trying to preserve game access in a variety of locations, and now a major step in the right direction has been made in California. California State Assembly Member Chris Ward revealed on the Stop Killing Games YouTube channel that a Protect Our Games Act bill, AB-1921, has officially passed the state assembly. With this, the bill will move on to the state senate, where Ward says it will be debated in committee in June. The bill proposes that game companies provide 60 days notice before shutting down any server-dependent game, and would require them to provide a method to either keep playing the games offline or through fan-hosted servers afterward, or in lieu of that, to provide a refund to buyers. While the bill isn't yet a law, it's a step in the right direction for the movement, and could lead to big changes in the game industry if it succeeds.
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Outside the United States, the Stop Killing Games movement has been making progress in Europe, as well. Back in 2025, the European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta expressed support for the movement, going so far as to sign the petition himself. In May 2026, a representative of the European Commission noted that an official response to the petition would arrive before the summer. What will become of it is unclear at this time, as some Members of the European Parliament openly supported the movement, while others criticized it.
Although many gamers and content creators have publicly supported the Stop Killing Games movement, there has been significant pushback, as well. European publisher group Video Games Europe is one of the groups that has spoken against the movement, claiming that live-service games would become prohibitively expensive to develop if the laws the movement is asking for were enacted. However, under the California bill, not all games would be impacted by the proposed law. The bill excludes free-to-play games, games provided through subscription services, and games that are playable offline "indefinitely." There has also been opposition within the US, however, with the Entertainment Software Association expressing concerns over "security and intellectual property issues" with discontinued games.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
At the moment, in order for the California bill to become law, it needs to get through the California State Senate. If the California State Senate passes the bill, it will then be handed to the Governor of California to either sign or reject. Even in the event of a governor veto, however, a two-thirds vote in each house could potentially override that decision. Whatever ultimately ends up happening, gamers and game industry professionals will likely be keeping a close eye on this bill in the weeks to come.