Fans Compile Instances of Sony Claiming Players Own Their Digital Games Amid Lawsuit Controversy

In the midst of an ongoing lawsuit against Sony, the company’s legal team recently asserted that “reasonable” consumers recognize that purchasing a digital game on PlayStation doesn’t equate to actual ownership. Therefore, they argue, there’s no need for clearer disclosures on their store page. However, players have been compiling instances where PlayStation has indicated that users do indeed own their games, which complicates the company’s defense.

Recently, Sony’s lawyers submitted a response to a class action lawsuit from gamers in California who contend that Sony is failing to meet legal requirements to clarify that buying a game on PS5 doesn’t grant ownership. Instead, players are merely acquiring a revocable, limited license to access the digital content, as outlined in PlayStation’s extensive terms of service—documents that most people overlook and that are crafted more for legal professionals than everyday users. While this may hold true from a legal standpoint, the lawsuit highlights that Sony’s PSN Store frequently uses terms like “Purchase” and “Owned,” which the plaintiffs argue is misleading.

To emphasize how often PlayStation employs terms like “owned” in relation to digital purchases, players have started documenting examples where the company states that a DLC requires them to “own” a game or that they can upgrade a game they “already own” at no extra cost. The list is extensive, with numerous instances found across Sony’s websites, emails, and the PSN Store. Notably, very few, if any, of these examples include an asterisk or a note clarifying that what players actually own is a license, not the game itself.

While it’s true that the terms of service eventually explain what players receive when they buy a digital game on PlayStation, it’s surprising that Sony is arguing that in today’s “digital age,” no “reasonable consumer” would believe they were gaining ‘ownership’ of a digital game.

Sure, many readers might grasp this concept, even if they don’t agree with it. But it seems absurd to think that a random 13-year-old or a casual gamer parent would fully understand that “buying” a game and being told they “own it” by the seller doesn’t align with the traditional meaning of ownership that has existed throughout history.

As Sony pushes toward a fully digital future, the issues of ownership and preservation will only grow in significance. It’s likely that this won’t be the last time Sony finds itself in court trying to clarify that purchasing a game doesn’t equate to true ownership.