A bill focused on maintaining long-term playable access to online games has passed out of the California Assembly’s appropriations committee, setting up a floor vote by the full legislative body.
The advancement is a major win for Stop Killing Games‘ grassroots game preservation movement and comes over the objections of industry lobbyists at the Entertainment Software Association.
The act would also require publishers to notify players 60 days before the cessation of “services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game.”.
As currently amended, the act would not apply to completely free games and games offered “solely for the duration of [a] subscription.
Any other game offered for sale in California on or after January 1, 2027, would be subject to the law if it passes.
SKG wrote last month that it “advised on the drafting” of the bill before it was first introduced by Assemblyman Chris Ward earlier this year.
“It has been an honor to take part in drafting this bill on behalf of the SKG community: gamers, developers, and publishers alike. »