This latest statement from Sony is likely to further inflame disgruntled gamers following the announcement that the company will phase out physical discs starting in January 2028.

Last June, four people decided to file a lawsuit against the Japanese company in California. They argued that PlayStation did not specify that titles purchased from its store were merely licenses and not the games themselves. On the PlayStation Store, the "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase" buttons are being criticized for being misleading, since the consumer is not actually purchasing a game directly.

This is an argument that Sony has attempted to counter in its response to the complaint. The company maintains that "reasonable consumers" understand that "the purchase of a digital product is equivalent to a license."

"As the plaintiffs acknowledge, Section 1 of the SPLA also states that the software is licensed to you, not sold. This makes sense. In the digital age, it is implausible to argue that reasonable consumers believed they were acquiring ownership of a digital game.

If that were the case, plaintiff Edward Heycock would not have been able to purchase the game Resident Evil Requiem on February 25, 2026, for $69.99 on the PlayStation Store after plaintiff Jason Mendoza had purchased it on February 14, 2026, because it would have been Mr. Mendoza—not Sony—who owned it at that time. "

Simply put, since multiple players can purchase the same digital game (such as Resident Evil Requiem in the example), an individual cannot truly own it. Otherwise, other users would not be able to purchase it as well. This is Sony’s reasoning, which will likely not be shared by everyone.