The California Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development committee rejected the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921) on June 29, 2026, with a vote tally of 4 in favor, 3 against, and 4 abstentions. This was insufficient for passage out of the 11-member committee [1, 2, 3, 4].

Previously, the bill had passed the California State Assembly in late May with a strong 43 to 16 vote. It aimed to require game publishers and digital operators to provide a 60-day notice before delisting online games and to offer either offline play options on private or community servers or issue refunds to players [1, 2, 3, 4]. The legislation would not have applied to subscription-based or free-to-play titles [2].

The Stop Killing Games campaign backed the bill, running a grassroots effort without paid staff, in-person lobbying, or significant funding, relying heavily on volunteers. A campaign volunteer said, "Not enough yeses means the bill stops here for this session. That is the loss." They added, "This was our first attempt, in our first year, in the United States, with a U.S. budget of zero dollars... We were only three votes away from this becoming law" [1, 2]. Another volunteer said abstentions effectively counted as no votes: "Abstentions are not neutral, their effect is the same as votes against, so without enough 'yes' votes, this was a failure" [3].

Opposition came from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which conducted in-person lobbying against the bill. ESA claimed that private servers infringed on publishers’ intellectual property and would be illegal under the bill’s provisions. The ESA warned the bill would impose higher costs on California-based publishers with live service games, including Blizzard Entertainment, EA, and 2K Games, by preventing shutdowns without notice or compensation [2, 3, 4].

The dispute over the legality of private servers exposed a key disagreement. Stop Killing Games supporters argued the bill preserved game play by allowing player-operated servers as an alternative to shutdown, while ESA maintained such servers violated publisher IP rights and should be prohibited [3, 4].

Stop Killing Games plans to renew efforts next legislative session with full funding, in-person lobbying, and support from organizations and developers. They also aim to introduce similar bills in other state legislatures and at the federal level [1, 2, 3, 4].

Assemblymember Chris Ward introduced the bill in February 2026, beginning the legislative push that led to its Assembly passage and Senate committee hearing [2]. The next attempt is expected with the 2027 legislative session.