The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative, which aims to ensure games requiring online connections remain playable after services shut down, has been rejected in the California State Senate.

Known formally as AB 1921, or the 'Protect Our Games Act' introduced by California Assemblymember Chris Ward, the bill saw success last month in the California State Assembly vote, passing with 43 ayes and 16 nays. It was then moved to the Senate for further deliberation and voting.

However, the Stop Killing Games community reported on the 30th that the bill failed in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee with a tally of 4 ayes, 3 nays, and 4 abstentions. Since a majority of the total committee is required for passage, the abstentions effectively acted as rejections, halting the bill's progress for this session.

The failure of the bill is attributed to loopholes in the legislation itself alongside heavy lobbying from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which flexed its considerable financial muscle. The ESA had opposed the bill from the start, claiming it would "force developers to divert limited resources toward maintaining obsolete systems rather than creating new games and technologies, failing to reflect the realities of how modern games function."

Stop Killing Games stated they "will not cease their activities," adding, "We plan to secure funding for in-person lobbying in the next session and are also exploring similar legislation at the level of other state legislatures and the federal government."

Meanwhile, the AB 1921 bill aimed to mandate refunds and offline modes for online games scheduled for service termination. Similar discussions took place in Europe where the movement first gained momentum, but the European Commission stated that legal enforcement would be difficult. In response, Ross Scott, the initiator of Stop Killing Games, remarked, "We will push for an amendment."