Sony is telling PlayStation customers they don’t own the digital video games they paid $70 for

Key Points:

• Sony is facing a class action lawsuit in California alleging it failed to properly disclose that purchasing downloadable games grants only a license, not permanent ownership, violating California law AB 2426.
• Sony argues that its terms of service and end user license agreements clearly state that digital games are licensed, not owned, and that customers cannot reasonably expect exclusive ownership since identical copies can be purchased by others.
• Other companies like GameStop are also being sued for similar reasons under AB 2426, while platforms like Steam have proactively added warnings about digital licenses to comply with the law.
• Despite the shift toward digital gaming, a growing segment of consumers, especially younger generations, are gravitating back to physical media to ensure true ownership, driven in part by subscription fatigue and concerns over the impermanence of digital purchases.
• Sony plans to cease physical disc production for new PlayStation games by 2028, reflecting industry trends favoring digital formats, even as some consumers seek "analog islands" of physical media for reliable ownership.