Author: Anton Merzlyakov

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Sony stated in court that "reasonable consumers" perfectly understand that purchasing a digital game does not mean that the game becomes their property. This is reported in more detail in an article by Video Games Chronicle.

Recall: In June, four players filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment. According to them, the company allegedly violated the law of the US state of California by not indicating in the PlayStation Store that players are purchasing a license for the game, not the game itself.

According to the plaintiffs, because the PlayStation Store uses phrases like "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase," users may have a distorted impression that they are buying a copy of the game that becomes their property, rather than a license to access the game, which Sony can revoke at any time in the future.

Sony, in turn, appeals to internal documents—more simply, the user agreement. According to the company, this document explains its position in sufficient detail. At the same time, Sony's lawyers also believe that "any reasonable gamer" who paid for a digital game should understand the impossibility of owning it. Otherwise, no one else would have another copy.

"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 in the PlayStation Store after plaintiff Jason Mendoza purchased Resident Evil Requiem on February 14, 2026, because then it would be owned by Mr. Mendoza, not Sony," reads an excerpt from the court documents.

This whole campaign unfolded against the backdrop of Sony's decision to stop releasing and selling games on discs from January 2028. For this reason, among others, Sony is facing criticism from part of its audience.

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