PC gaming showcase Good Old Games (GOG) took a shot at PlayStation on social media by declaring that players do not need a storefront's permission to play any purchased games. GOG's announcement came days after PlayStation announced its intention to move away from physical game discs in January 2028.
Sony's intention to move away from releasing PlayStation titles on physical discs after three decades immediately drew the ire of gamers, developers and other companies. Since PlayStation's announcement, fans have been calling for the company to reconsider its move away from physical media. Despite the ongoing petitions against Sony's decision, Dr Serkan Toto of consultancy Kantan Games stated that PlayStation is unlikely to change its stance towards physical releases in 2028.
With the gaming industry at large criticizing Sony's move towards digital exclusivity, GOG followed suit. Despite being a digital PC storefront, it stated on social media that users can download the offline installer for any game on the GOG platform and save the data to a disc format of their choice as a way to keep a copy. GOG confirmed its anti-DRM policy by saying that players should not need permission from any storefront to play any games. Although Steam is the largest storefront for PC games by most measures, GOG has carved out a niche by being one of the most reliable storefronts for getting classic and modern PC titles across multiple genres.
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PlayStation's move towards digital exclusivity may cause problems for some users. Some PlayStation users expressed concern that Sony's region-locking policy could prevent players who move to another country from playing any digital titles on their account. At the time of writing, PlayStation Network users cannot change the country or region an account is based in. However, this is not the case with Steam or with Nintendo and Xbox consoles, as users can easily change or transfer regions. While GOG didn't directly name Sony in its announcement, the point wasn't lost on its user base. Several users responded with positive messages for GOG while mocking PlayStation.
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Image via Sony -
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Image via PlayStation
Additionally, Sony may run into some legal headwinds with its upcoming change. Plans to file a formal antitrust complaint against PlayStation were announced by two Mexican government officials, Federal Representative Irais Reyes and Senator Luis Donaldo Colosio. Reyes said that if physical discs were to disappear, it would create a monopoly by forcing users to buy digital games through the PlayStation Store. Although digital PlayStation titles can be sold through storefronts such as Amazon, the codes must still be redeemed through Sony's network. Colosio argued that PlayStation's decision was made under the assumption that every user has access to an ISP with fast download speeds, which is not always the case.
Although the company is staying the course in its plans, Sony later said that games released before January 2028 would still have physical copies printed if needed. Ergo games such as Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will likely be among the last major titles to receive a physical disc release on the PS5.
