{"id":3304,"date":"2026-05-11T21:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamingtodaynews.site\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/game-industry-lobby-group-that-argued-against-preservation-efforts-from-libraries-is\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T21:25:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:25:12","slug":"game-industry-lobby-group-that-argued-against-preservation-efforts-from-libraries-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamingtodaynews.site\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/game-industry-lobby-group-that-argued-against-preservation-efforts-from-libraries-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Game industry lobby group that argued against preservation efforts from libraries is\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Game industry lobby group that argued against preservation efforts from libraries is\u2026 is attracting attention across the tech world. Analysts, enthusiasts, and industry observers are watching closely to see how this story develops.<\/p>\n

This update adds another signal to a fast-moving sector where product decisions, platform changes, and competition can quickly shape the market.<\/p>\n

Your occasional reminder that the Entertainment Software Association is not your friend.<\/p>\n

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.<\/p>\n

Stop Killing Games has come a long way in a very short period of time, from longshot consumer campaign just two years ago to European Parliament presentation and international NGOs in 2026. Despite those successes, it’s still facing pushback from the game industry itself, which is once again warning consumers\u2014in dire tones, I’m sure\u2014that they should be careful what they wish for.<\/p>\n

In April, Stop Killing Games endorsed the Protect Our Games Act\u2014formally known as AB 1921\u2014which if adopted (it’s still working its way through the California legislature) would compel game makers to notify owners in advance of coming server shutdowns, and either provide a version of the game that can be used without online services, patch the existing game so servers are no longer required, or provide a full refund.<\/p>\n

That bill provoked a strong response from the Entertainment Software Association, the lobbying group that represents the game industry in the US. “Many games depend on evolving tech innovation, licensed content, and online platforms that change over time,” the ESA told ABC10 (via RPS) last week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

“Assembly Bill 1921 could force developers to spend limited time and resources keeping old platforms running instead of creating new games, features, and tech innovation. In the end, this policy doesn’t reflect how games actually work today. This bill sets strict rules that could ultimately mean fewer new and innovative experiences for players.”<\/p>\n

I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate: In the case of The Crew, for instance\u2014the game that started all of this\u2014fans were able to bring it back to life despite Ubisoft’s concerted efforts to bury it deep. There are also already examples of game studios, most of them without the resources of the big publishers represented by the ESA, ensuring their games live beyond their servers.<\/p>\n

Islands of Insight developer Lunarch Studios made its multiplayer puzzle game (which I quite liked) offline-capable in 2024, so fans could continue playing after the servers were taken down; in 2025, 1047 Games brought peer-to-peer support to the original Splitgate after it decided to take the servers offline. Even Ubisoft found a way to make it happen, bringing an offline mode to The Crew 2, earning a rare “W” from gamers in the process. Such efforts obviously require resources, but enough to torpedo the creation of new games and technologies? Perhaps not.<\/p>\n

The ESA’s statement prompted a response from Stop Killing Games on Reddit, where organizer Moritz Katzner pointed out that the bill does not call for game servers to be maintained forever, but simply that publishers not be allowed to sell and then disable games, “with no real remedy” for consumers.<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the most significant stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.<\/p>\n

“AB 1921 is narrow. It applies to paid games going forward and gives companies options: preserve ordinary use, patch the game, or refund the purchaser,” Katzner wrote. “The industry wants people to think this is a demand for eternal server support, with endless costs and complications. It isn\u2019t. It\u2019s much simpler: If a company sells people a paid game, it should not be able to destroy the game\u2019s ordinary use later without notice or remedy.”<\/p>\n

In the past the ESA has also lobbied hard against other efforts to preserve access to games. In 2024, the organization’s lawyers argued against a DMCA allowance for libraries and museums to provide remote access to games. “I don\u2019t think there is at the moment any combination of limitations that ESA members would support to provide remote access,” an ESA spokesperson said at a US Copyright Office hearing, citing the risk that too many people could request access to play the games for fun, rather than research. The Copyright Office ultimately sided with the ESA over the Software Preservation Network representatives advocating for the exception.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

The ESA’s statement on Stop Killing Games, while overwrought, is not unprecedented, or even limited to American lobbying groups. In 2025, Video Games Europe, essentially the EU version of the ESA, issued basically the same warning, saying that Stop Killing Games’ demands could expose gamers to “unsafe community content” and “would curtail developer choice by making these videogames prohibitively expensive to create.”<\/p>\n

2026 games: All the upcoming gamesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together<\/p>\n

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.<\/p>\n

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters<\/h2>\n

This development may influence user expectations, future product strategy, and the competitive balance inside the broader technology industry.<\/p>\n

Companies in adjacent segments often react quickly to similar moves, which is why stories like this tend to matter beyond a single announcement.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/h2>\n

The full impact will become clearer over time, but the story already highlights how quickly the modern tech landscape can evolve.<\/p>\n

Observers will continue tracking the next steps and how they affect products, users, and the wider market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Game industry lobby group that argued against preservation efforts from libraries is\u2026 is attracting attention across the tech<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1269,132,170,355,1270],"class_list":["post-3304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-games","tag-efforts","tag-game","tag-games","tag-industry","tag-stop"],"yoast_head":"\nGame industry lobby group that argued against preservation efforts from libraries is\u2026 - gamingtodaynews.site<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gamingtodaynews.site\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/game-industry-lobby-group-that-argued-against-preservation-efforts-from-libraries-is\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Game industry lobby group that argued against preservation efforts from libraries is\u2026 - 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