An Entertainment Software Association official interrupted a California State Senate hearing to declare that private servers for Minecraft and Call of Duty are illegal and amount to piracy. The comments came during discussion of the Protect Our Games Act on June 29, 2026.
Jennifer Gibbons, the ESA's vice president of state government affairs, spoke during the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee hearing. She responded to Assemblyman Chris Ward, who cited community servers in Minecraft and Call of Duty as examples of continued play after official support ends.
"They're illegal," Gibbons said. "They are not in any way affiliated with Microsoft." She added that the ESA considers such servers piracy and referenced two pending lawsuits plus listings in United States Trade Representative reports.
The ESA later clarified its position in an email. Private servers that host copyrighted content without authorization infringe on publishers' rights, the group stated, and the bill raises concerns about enforcement and player safety standards.
The hearing addressed the Stop Killing Games initiative's proposal to require publishers to support continued play after servers shut down.