The California State Assembly Appropriations Committee just handed the ESA a rare loss by voting yes to advance AB 1921, the Protect Our Games Act, to the full floor. Moritz Katzner and the Stop Killing Games crew drafted the bill with Assemblymember Chris Ward, and the lobbyists' last-minute gaslighting didn't stick.

The legislation would require publishers to give 60 days notice before killing online features, plus a playable offline patch, server emulation option, or refund for paid digital games sold after January 1, 2027. ESA arguments about licensing, expired third-party rights, and innovation costs got zero traction in committee.

Community reaction on Reddit's r/pcgaming and r/StopKillingGames is pure relief mixed with "this ain't over" warnings. Players are already prepping pressure campaigns for the floor vote while side-eyeing Ubisoft and EA's usual playbook.

This is the first real U.S. crack in the "you only bought a license" wall. The ESA just found out grassroots receipts hit harder than their standard corporate theater.