Sony Claims Digital Game Ownership Is Impossible

Sony is currently facing a class action lawsuit that claims PlayStation doesn’t currently provide enough warning to players that a digital purchase of a game does not result in ownership of the title. In its official response, Sony has claimed that it’s actually impossible for users to own a digital PlayStation game to begin with.

All eyes are still fixed on Sony following its announcement on July 1 that physical disc production will be coming to an end in January 2028. This announcement caused widespread backlash from gamers, with it essentially meaning that players will no longer be able to purchase physical games, sell them, or let their friends borrow their copies. It also essentially means that PlayStation players will no longer own most of their game library, as when you purchase a digital game via the PlayStation Store (and many other digital storefronts), you’re technically only purchasing the license to play it and not ownership rights to the game itself.

Sony Explains How It’s Impossible to Own a Digital Game

Back in June, a group of four gamers began the process to sue Sony due to the alleged insufficient warnings surrounding purchases on the PlayStation Store. More specifically, the proposed class action lawsuit claims that Sony is breaking a relatively new Californian law that requires digital storefronts to make it expressly clear that consumers are purchasing a license to play the game and not the game itself. Before making a purchase on the PlayStation Store, a line of text appears above the confirm button, stating that by confirming their purchase, users acknowledge that their purchase “amounts to a license subject to Software Product License Agreement.” The group of suing gamers claim this warning is insufficient.

On August 21, Sony made its official argument against this proposed class action lawsuit. As first reported by Game File, Sony’s argument states that those warnings prior to a digital purchase are sufficient as they link to both the PlayStation Terms of Service and the Software Product License Agreement. Sony believes these warnings are clear enough that “reasonable consumers would not be misled.”

Sony goes on to claim that consumers should inherently understand that a digital purchase cannot grant ownership of the game as then other consumers would be unable to purchase it. Sony’s statement reads, “In the digital age, it is not plausible to allege that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining ‘ownership’ of a digital game.”

Sony then cites an example, claiming that if “Plaintiff Jason Mendoza” had purchased Resident Evil Requiem on February 14, 2026, then “Plaintiff Edward Heycock” would not have been able to purchase the same game on February 25, as Mendoza would have owned the game then, not Sony. Essentially, Sony is claiming that it’s impossible for a consumer to own a digital game like they would a physical copy, as the digital game cannot be traded, sold, or given away in the same manner.