Gaming lobby claims fan-run servers are piracy and unsafe during debate on keeping games alive after official support ends, triggering sharp backlash from players who built the Minecraft multiplayer scene.
The Entertainment Software Association just made clear where it stands on the thousands of independent Minecraft servers that players have run for years: they are illegal. During testimony for California’s Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), ESA representative Jennifer Gibbons described community servers as piracy and complained they dodge the safety rules Microsoft enforces on its own platforms.
Safety Standards or Monopoly Protection?
The hearing centered on the Stop Killing Games movement, which argues publishers should be required to enable community servers or offline modes so games do not become unplayable after support ends. Minecraft and Call of Duty were cited as positive examples of games that already support robust community infrastructure. Gibbons pushed back hard, stating the servers are not affiliated with Microsoft and do not employ equivalent safety standards.
They’re illegal, and they are not in any way affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft for Minecraft has gotten a lot of criticism because of those community servers not employing the same safety standards that Microsoft does on their Minecraft servers.
The comments have lit up Minecraft forums, Reddit, and X feeds. Many long-time server operators point out that community servers predate Microsoft’s acquisition and remain the main way millions experience the game outside of Realms. Critics argue the ESA position conveniently ignores how Microsoft itself has benefited from the free labor of mapmakers, plugin developers, and server hosts for over a decade.
- Hearing date: June 29 2026 before the California State Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee
- Bill AB 1921 aims to prevent games from being rendered permanently unplayable
- ESA position equates unauthorized servers with piracy
- Minecraft cited alongside Call of Duty as example of existing community server ecosystems
Whether this testimony sways lawmakers remains to be seen. What is certain is that Minecraft’s community has never needed official permission to keep playing, building, and hosting. The fight over who actually owns the game when the company moves on just got louder.