California bill would force refunds or offline patches when online games shut down

California’s Protect Our Games Act has cleared the Assembly’s appropriations committee on an 11-2 vote, sending it to a full floor vote despite opposition from the Entertainment Software Association. The bill would require publishers who end support for an online game sold in California on or after January 1, 2027 to either issue full refunds or release an updated version that works without publisher-controlled services. Publishers would also have to give players 60 days’ notice before pulling the plug on services needed for ordinary play.

The legislation carves out exceptions for free titles and subscription-only games, narrowing its scope to paid products with ongoing service dependencies. The Stop Killing Games advocacy group, which formed after Ubisoft’s 2024 shutdown of The Crew, says it helped draft the bill with Assemblyman Chris Ward and views the committee vote as a significant milestone for game preservation efforts.

If enacted, the law would set a notable precedent for consumer rights around always-online software, forcing publishers to plan end-of-life strategies for live-service titles rather than treating server shutdowns as a no-cost option. The outcome of the floor vote will signal how much weight California lawmakers give preservation advocates versus industry lobbying.