Video Gamers Push Back Against Sony, Microsoft, and Digital Copyright Law

July 20, 2026 - 05:23

A rebellion is brewing in the world of video games. Roughly 60% of Americans play video games, and many of the more dedicated players have grown increasingly frustrated over the last five years. Prices keep rising. Layoffs are common. And now, a major shift in how games are sold has sparked real anger.

Earlier this month, Sony announced that starting in 2027, it will stop producing physical copies of its games. All purchases will have to be digital, going through Sony's online store, which takes a 30% cut. For many people, this might seem like just another business decision. After all, 85% of games are already bought digitally. But the reaction has been fierce.

PlayStation fans are now out for blood, according to reports. Social media is flooded with complaints. Important game designers have called the decision frightening. Game retailers have expressed disappointment. Even a former PlayStation chair is unhappy. An online petition has gathered over a third of a million signatures.

The core issue is ownership. A physical disc is a real thing you own. You can lend it, trade it, resell it, gift it, or pass it down to your kids. A box with a download code is not the same. It is a digital license in plastic packaging. You do not own it. You are renting access that can be revoked. People have already had purchased movies deleted from their libraries and games pulled from sale weeks after launch.

There is also a jobs issue. Physical games support an entire industry: retailers, distributors, manufacturers, warehousing, logistics, the pre-owned and trade-in market, and the collector and preservation community. That is thousands of jobs and countless small businesses. Ending physical media removes consumer choice, weakens local economies, and hands a few platform holders total control over how and whether you can access the games you buy.

This is not just about Sony. Microsoft has been buying up studios and building big subscription services. After buying Activision in 2023, Xbox doubled the price of its Game Pass service. Valve's Steam platform holds a near monopoly on PC gaming. The end of the used game market is just one more road closed to consumers.

From a game studio perspective, the situation is also problematic. To get a game onto a platform increasingly requires going through an app store or getting into a streaming service. That means permission from a small number of gatekeepers. As Sony kills the physical channel, it will be one gatekeeper after another.

This problem extends beyond gaming. Amazon recently said people with older Kindles will not be able to buy new books anymore. Mercedes charges an extra $1,200 for software that allows faster acceleration. Echelon deactivated features on its exercise bikes to stop users from accessing third-party apps. Apple was caught deleting non-iTunes songs from devices. Farmers cannot repair their John Deere equipment with their own software. The U.S. military has serious problems repairing equipment due to restrictions from contractors.

The legal framework that enables this is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Section 1201 says no person shall circumvent a technological measure that controls access to copyrighted work. Doing so can mean five years in jail and a $500,000 fine. Even if you do not realize you are circumventing restrictions on your own property, you could be fined up to $25,000.

There are two ways to attack this problem. One is to eliminate Section 1201 of the DMCA. The other is to put a rule in statute saying that if a company will not sell a physical copy of a game for the same price as a digital copy, then it is legal to circumvent technological measures to protect copyrighted video games. Additional rights could include the ability to set up servers if a company chooses to end support for its games.

The video gamer community is starting to see the issue as one of market power and excessive copyright across the board. They see the commons being enclosed. And they do not like it. It remains to be seen whether any political leader will pick up this energy and run with it.