It’s a perilous new world for physical media collectors. Earlier this Summer, Sony announced that it would cease production of PlayStation games on disc starting in 2028. To the disdain of many, Sony faced wild backlash across social media. Despite the ire of PlayStation’s vocal consumers, there’s no indication that it’ll have any fiscal effect on the gaming giant. Of course, only time will tell. In August, the company responded to a lawsuit in California’s Northern District Court.
Stephen Totillo at Game File reported on the matter. According to the lawsuit, California law requires companies to ensure consumers understand that the purchase of digital goods does not entitle them to indefinite access. Sony addressed the suit by largely insulting a portion of its customer base, stating that “reasonable consumers would not be misled.”
Sony places the burden of confusion on the consumer
Gaslighting is what big business does best
The report further shared that Sony’s argument is rooted in the idea that digital games can’t be owned because if one person owned it, no one else could. The argument is pedantic and at a level of absurdity that no one is buying. While many consumers understand that digital goods are licenses, not permanent, there are many who see a “Buy” button and make the natural assumption. Everything is buried in layers of text with terms and conditions. Sony and other companies know full well most people don’t read walls of text before making a simple purchase. The pursuers of the litigation ultimately intended to hold Sony to account. The company has openly stated that they are removing the option of ownership in 2028 without using plain language that even the most casual customers will understand. Language is everything. Making a purchase or “buying” an item is different from acquiring a license.
It’s no different than when Coca-Cola turned accusations of deception surrounding Vitamin Water back on consumers by insinuating that buyers shouldn’t assume Vitamin Water is a healthy drink option. Vitamin Water. Not only did the beverage highlight performance benefits on the label, but it also has “vitamin” and “water” in the name. While consumers should always be smart with their purchases, that doesn’t absolve companies of deceptive practices, and Sony knows exactly what it’s doing.
Implementing assurances would buy goodwill
Sony should stop addressing an anti-consumer move with anti-consumer messaging
While retaining physical media would be the optimal path forward to appease all consumers, it’s clear that Sony has no intention to reverse course. That’s understandable given that the company likely wants PlayStation fans to get used to the idea long before the PS6 is announced without a disc drive option. If the company has a vision for margin reduction and removing the secondary market, eliminating discs is a logical path forward, and no one can really blame them for it.
However, Sony could have started implementing plans to better secure consumer libraries. This includes publicly addressing security advancements and protections surrounding PlayStation accounts. The company can also seek to align all parties so that it can begin making the promise to consumers that purchases license acquisitions will remain indefinitely. Customers shouldn’t have to fear shifting license agreements. While these concepts seem simple on the surface, they’d require some serious coordination and effort on Sony’s part. But they’d be a worthwhile investment in PlayStation’s ecosystem and its faithful consumers.
The obsolescence of physical games will be a backwards compatibility problem
Sony should address the investment many have made over the last two generations of hardware
There’s also the problem of physical libraries and backwards compatibility. Modern hardware’s largest selling point is that consumers have been able to bring their games from previous generations forward. Physical buyers would be left standing with a media collection that they cannot use on the PS6. Many likely fear that they will have to keep their physical games on old hardware in the coming years. With the announcement of the PS6, it’d take no effort on Sony’s part to produce an option for a USB-connected disc drive that’d be capable of playing PS5 and PS4 discs. Even if PS6 games never see a physical edition, an external drive would be a simple solution that could reassure prospective buyers that their old physical collections won’t be obsolete should they choose to acquire the extra piece of hardware.
PlayStation’s reputation is suffering these days amid price hikes, major studio layoffs like Bungie, dropping support for Hideo Kojima’s Physint, ongoing legal battles, and more. Only time will tell if the momentum they’ve built in the PS4 and PS5 generations will continue full steam ahead into the PS6 era despite their fading public image among hardened gaming fans. It’s also not too late to begin taking steps to assure their fanbase that the future doesn’t have to be limiting.
