As digital versions of games become mainstream, many players still choose to purchase physical games. In addition to collectible value and the ability to buy new games cheaply through second-hand trade, many people are concerned that digital versions of games do not mean they have ownership of them.
And this is indeed the case. On the current most mainstream PC digital retail platforms, Steam and Epic Game Mall, players only purchase game licenses. Only DRM-free games released on platforms like GOG are more like purchasing game ownership - they do not require online verification and are not tied to an account. Developers still have the option to remove games from players' inventories on Steam.
Officials in California seem to agree that the purchase of digital versions of games does not equal the purchase of the product itself, but lawmakers now hope that all platforms must also make this clear to consumers. A new regulation is now in place that will require all digital retail platforms to make it clear and emphasized at the outset that what is being purchased is not ownership, removing the ambiguity that exists in such purchases.
This bill has been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and is said to be a direct response to the withdrawal of Ubisoft's "The Crew 1". It's actually a regulation for both retail platforms and developers/publishers, designed to combat the sudden disappearance of digital products (like The Crew 1 suddenly becoming completely unplayable). While it doesn't prohibit companies from removing digital content, it does require stores to avoid using terms like "Buy/Purchase" unless they clearly state that customers have unrestricted access to purchased products.
Earlier this year, Ubisoft removed The Crew 1 from players' digital inventories, following a similar situation with Marvel's Avengers and Specs: The Line.