Sony Is the Monopoly Gamers Warned About

Everywhere you turn online, video game companies are assuring customers that the end of physical media is inevitable progress.

Always left unsaid is progress toward what?

Yes, downloading games is faster. And discs do take up shelf space. Most players already buy digitally anyway. So, it’s argued, eliminating obsolete plastic gives consumers what they want.

It turns out that by eliminating physical media, video game megacorps are progressing toward outright monopoly status.

Sony announced that physical disc production for new PlayStation games will end in January 2028. Now, a Dutch consumer group has accused Sony of abusing its control over digital PlayStation sales. The lawsuit alleges that games on the PlayStation Store can cost substantially more than physical copies, with the plaintiffs claiming differences as high as 47 percent.

But the dispute gets more interesting. The Stop Killing Games movement and preservation group DoesItPlay? have thrown their support behind the suit.

If you’re, a PlayStation owner, you’ve always been able to buy a disc from a retailer, borrow one from a friend, find a used copy online, or sell your used game. And each of those options limits Sony’s control over the transaction. The disc on your shelf can change hands without their permission. More importantly, the retailer selling that disc competes with Sony for your money.

One change that tips the balance of power fully in Sony’s favor is getting rid of the disc. Total ownership of the game retail channel and the platform it’s played on belongs to a single entity.

Read the full post on Substack.

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