Sony faces class action alleging PlayStation buyers don't own the digital games they paid for

Sony Group Corporation (NYSE: SONY) is facing a class action lawsuit filed in California's Northern District Court in June, in which four customers allege the company did not properly disclose that paying for a downloadable PlayStation game does not grant permanent ownership or access to it.

The lawsuit claims Sony's disclosures violate a 2024 California law, AB 2426, which requires a warning stating in plain language that 'buying' or 'purchasing' the digital good is a license. Two of the plaintiffs bought Resident Evil Requiem, according to the motion to dismiss. Sony argued that because two of them purchased the same game just 11 days apart, no reasonable consumer could assume they owned exclusive rights to a digital copy.

In its motion to dismiss, Sony said it made clear in its terms of service and end user license agreement that its digital games are purchased, not owned, and that it is simply 'not plausible' that customers believed they owned the games outright. Sony did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.

Sony is not the only company responding to AB 2426. In January, GameStop customer Jake Weber sued the retailer for allegedly violating the law, a case that remains ongoing, while PC marketplace Steam began adding a warning on its shopping cart page telling customers they are buying a license that could be revoked. Sony, once a champion of physical media, said in a July blog post it would cease physical disc production in January 2028 for all new PlayStation games, which can run at about $70. In 2024, just 3% of PlayStation's sales came from physical games, according to Sony.