Sony Argues Digital Game Ownership Is Not Plausible

Sony argues that PlayStation buyers cannot own digital games because multiple customers can obtain the same title from its online store.

The claim stems from an August 21 court filing and response to a class action lawsuit against Sony, alleging that its digital store failed to disclose enough to comply with California’s 2025 Digital Goods Law.

Sony Says PlayStation Digital Purchases Are Licenses

The filing (via GameFile) includes a statement from Sony’s counsel saying digital ownership would be impossible because a player could not own something purchased on a digital store if another player had already bought it.

As Plaintiffs admit, Section 1 of the SPLA likewise explains that “The Software is licensed to you, not sold.” This makes sense. In the digital age, it is not plausible to allege that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining ‘ownership’ of a digital game. Were that the case, then Plaintiff Edward Heycock would not have been able to obtain the game Resident Evil Requiem on February 25, 2026, for $69.99 from the PlayStation Store after Plaintiff Jason Mendoza had obtained Resident Evil Requiem on February 14, 2026, because Mr. Mendoza, not Sony, would have owned it then.

This is yet another reminder that Sony is moving away from physical media and reminding players that they do not own their games but are renting licenses. Sony is ending physical media production for its games in 2028. However, they will continue to support existing physical titles beyond that date.

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