Hacker Group Anonymous Publicly Criticizes Sony for Decision to Abandon Discs

"The end of owning your games is approaching."

The hacker group Anonymous has joined the critics of Sony for abandoning physical media.

In its statement, Anonymous explained in detail the difference between purchasing a physical copy of a game and a digital version. According to the group, a disc allows the owner in many cases to launch the game without a constant internet connection and an active account. Furthermore, if a game disappears from the PSN digital store, the physical copy will continue to work. It can also be resold, exchanged, or lent to another person.

Anonymous claims that Sony's complete transition to digital distribution effectively means users are giving up ownership of games. Instead of owning a copy, the buyer only receives a license to use the content, which the company, as the copyright holder, can revoke at any time.

As confirmation, the group refers to Sony's software terms of use. These state that terms such as "own," "buy," or "purchase" do not imply a transfer of ownership to the user. Moreover, upon termination of an account, license, or user agreement, the owner is obliged to cease using the content and delete or destroy all copies thereof.

Anonymous also stated that the process of abandoning true game ownership has already begun. The Crew by Ubisoft is cited as an example. After the servers were shut down, the game, which required a constant internet connection, became inaccessible even to users who had purchased it at full price.

Particular attention in the statement is given to changes in US legislation. The group reminded that a law has come into force in California, obliging digital stores to clearly indicate that the purchase of digital content represents the acquisition of a license, not ownership. According to the new requirements, sellers can no longer freely use the words "buy" or "purchase" in relation to digital goods without appropriate clarification. Violation of these rules may be considered misleading advertising.

According to Anonymous, the adoption of this law was a direct reaction to situations such as the shutdown of The Crew servers and cases where users lost access to previously purchased PlayStation digital content.