// KOTAKU — GAMING
The Video Game Industry’s Trade Body Doesn’t Want To Talk About Digital Ownership
Sony is ditching physical discs for good, starting in 2028, and a lot of people are deeply unhappy about it. Understandably so.
A lot of groups have brought up the many, many issues with Sony’s decision, but I’m going to start by throwing to DoesItPlay?, a community focused on video game preservation and cataloging what and how games are available, especially those with online components. The group summarized the issues pretty well in a lengthy but thorough statement when I reached out for comment.
Sony’s decision to discontinue physical media entirely goes against everything we stand for. And it will potentially have catastrophic consequences for the entire industry. The obvious bits are that Sony effectively erased ownership on their closed system, and will have a monopoly over distribution and pricing as a result. The ripple effect goes deeper, though. Basically erasing the second hand market, it will lock some players out of the platform, if they can’t afford the prices set. It will also reduce word of mouth, and therefore, discoverability, which will result in potentially lower sales for all games. Developers already complain about the abysmal chances to be discovered in digital storefronts like PSN or the eShop. The same effect happens when games can no longer be found at brick and mortar retail.
In addition, this will pose a challenge for developers and stores to stay in business. Entire business models will be heavily compromised in that space. Developers have also already stated that the option of a physical release was a motivation to bring their games to PlayStation in the first place, both because there is a larger audience as well as seeing their own work immortalized like that (see tweet from Billy Basso, creator of Animal Well). So Sony is even alienating those who are supposed to make the content that keeps its platform relevant.
That’s still not all, though. Press and many creators depend on monetization like affiliate marketing. If there are less games to advertise or if certain affiliate partners have to close shop entirely, it kills important revenue for all types of media. This will certainly affect us too, although we can already say that we won’t be going anywhere. We still have a lot of work to do for our mission, even beyond 2028.
The larger problem is that many still don’t care or even know about the consequences. Rising prices through a monopolized storefront and removed content thanks to the complete lack of customer protection legislation will bite customers in the long run. Sony themselves even set the scene a few days before with the second time Studio Canal movie purchases were set to be removed in September without any compensation. Actions like this are currently challenged by courts and on the political level by movements like Stop Killing Games. We need those efforts to succeed now more than ever. Otherwise, we will be entirely at the mercy of corporations who see customers as nothing but little wallets to drain.
Wow, that seems like it sucks! It’d be great if someone could do something about this, wouldn’t it?
Like maybe that big overarching video game industry trade body we’ve got in D.C.? Maybe it might have something to say here? You know, the folks whose job it is to go to the government and push for regulation and policies that could potentially make sure companies like Sony can’t just rip our bought and paid for video games out of our hands on a whim?
Well, I can tell you definitively that the Entertainment Software Association does not have anything to say. I asked, and it declined to comment on either Sony’s move, or the topic of “digital ownership” more broadly.
I’m not surprised by this. Look, I get it. The ESA is literally composed of the leadership of the biggest video game companies, Sony included. It’s not going to say anything as a body that would be detrimental to one (or, most likely, multiple) of its members. For all it says on its website about existing to, among