PlayStation all-digital future challenged as new legislation ensures gamers 'own what they buy'

New United States. Legislation is specifically targeting digital video game sales in an attempt to ensure that when you “buy a digital game, you actually own it.”

Earlier this year, PlayStation announced that it’d be moving away from physical media, which basically confirms the PlayStation 6 is an all-digital console, with no optional disc drive.

Gamers are still livid and when you go on PlayStation’s social media channels you’ll find the comment sections still rife with protest.

A congressman in the U.S. is campaigning for change though, with a new bill aimed at digital licences.

As reported by IGN, Ritchie Torres said: “Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy.”

He went on to say that games should be playable for as long as the consumer owns them, not until “a company pulls the plug” and removes access.

Online-only games were used as examples as well. Games such as NBA 2K25, where after a short duration the servers are shut down and access to the title becomes nigh impossible.

PlayStation even came under fire earlier this week for something like this, as a new firmware update for the PS5 must be downloaded if you want to stay connected to PSN.

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If Ritchie Torres’ ‘The Power To The Players Act’ gets passed, it would mean “consumers own what they buy and can keep playing long after a company moves on.”

The Power To The Players Act would also ensure GTA 6 is yours forever

While most of the hate for gaming’s digital-only future is being passed onto Sony, Rockstar Games has received just as much flak.

The biggest game of the decade, Grand Theft Auto VI, will be getting a physical edition, but the box will be practically empty. You’re getting no disc with your purchase, only a download code.

What makes it more egregious is that the game’s collector’s edition doesn’t even include the code…

While it’ll be a long, long time before it becomes a problem, this ultimately means that one day we’ll lose access to GTA VI indefinitely after waiting years for it to finally launch. It’s that kind of catastrophe that Ritchie Torres’ bill is trying to prevent.

All in all, it’s excellent news for the second-hand market. This will hopefully push companies like PlayStation into making a U-turn on its decision to kill physical media. Some gamers can’t afford the latest AAA games and would rather pay a little less for a used copy, which is impossible with a one-time-only download code.

The only possible loophole in Torres’ bill is games offered through subscription services. PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass are very transparent about you not actually owning the game, and permanent access isn’t something The Power To The Players Act can give.

There’s also no guarantee that the bill will be passed, but gamers are crossing their fingers in the hope that it does.

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