Don’t Let Physical Media Die: Preserve Competition and Consumer Choice in the PlayStation Ecosystem

Sony has shown an increasing shift toward a fully digital ecosystem, raising concerns about a future in which physical media disappears from the PlayStation platform. If this transition takes place without appropriate safeguards, millions of consumers could become dependent on a single digital storefront to purchase games.

Imagine buying a console that only supports digital games and offers only one authorized store where those games can be purchased. In such a system, consumers cannot choose another retailer, take advantage of a competitor’s sale, or rely on the second-hand market. They become entirely dependent on the prices and conditions set by a single company.

This is the direction Sony’s current strategy appears to be heading, and it is a growing concern for thousands of consumers.

If physical media is eventually phased out and future consoles are released without disc drives, the primary alternative channel for purchasing PlayStation games will disappear. Unlike physical games, digital games are permanently tied to a user’s account and, in practice, cannot be resold, lent, or rented in the same way.

The elimination of physical media is not merely a change in format. It could mean the disappearance of the main competitive alternative to the PlayStation Store for purchasing games. Without this alternative sales channel, consumers would become entirely dependent on Sony’s store to buy new titles, accepting the prices, promotions, and commercial terms established by a single company.

This petition does not seek to prevent technological progress or the continued growth of the digital market. Its purpose is to ensure that this transition occurs in a balanced manner, preserving competition, consumer choice, and consumer rights, while preventing the creation of a market in which a single company exercises complete control over access to games distributed on its own platform.

The Impact on Consumers

The disappearance of physical media eliminates the secondary market for games, preventing consumers from buying used titles, reselling them, or lending them to others. These options reduce costs for players and create competitive pressure on the prices charged by the official store.

Furthermore, reducing purchasing alternatives weakens competition within the PlayStation ecosystem itself. In a competitive market, different sellers compete for customers by offering lower prices, discounts, and better purchasing conditions. When that competition disappears, the risk of higher prices, fewer promotions, and reduced consumer choice increases.

Competition Concerns

By eliminating the primary alternative distribution channel for games, consumers become increasingly dependent on the PlayStation Store. This phenomenon is commonly known as vendor lock-in, a situation in which consumers remain tied to a single supplier’s ecosystem because there are no viable alternatives.

At the same time, the disappearance of physical media could also result in market foreclosure, making it difficult—or even impossible—for alternative distribution models to compete effectively within the platform.

Beyond the risks of vendor lock-in and market foreclosure, a market structure based on a single distribution channel may also warrant scrutiny regarding other potential competition concerns, such as self-preferencing and exploitative abuse, should the absence of effective competition enable such conduct. This petition does not claim that these practices are currently taking place. Rather, it argues that increasing market concentration makes preventive review by the relevant competition authorities increasingly important.

Why Should Competition Authorities Pay Attention?

Protecting competition and consumer choice is one of the fundamental principles of European Union competition policy. In recent years, European regulators have expressed growing concern about highly concentrated digital markets, particularly where a single company controls the primary gateway to products or services within its own ecosystem.

Although Sony’s commercial strategy is still evolving, its potential long-term effects justify preventive scrutiny. Early action by competition authorities can help prevent structural problems from becoming entrenched, preserving a competitive market before the lack of alternatives becomes irreversible.

What We Are Asking

In light of these concerns, we respectfully ask the European Commission, as well as other competent competition and consumer protection authorities, to closely monitor this transition toward a potentially digital-only model, assess its impact on competition, and, where risks to competition or consumers are identified, adopt whatever measures they consider appropriate to preserve a fair, competitive, and open market.

This petition does not ask for Sony to be prevented from innovating or investing in digital distribution. The digital marketplace has brought significant benefits to consumers and will continue to play a vital role in the future of the video game industry.

What this petition defends is the principle that innovation should not come at the expense of competition, consumer choice, or the secondary market. We believe technological progress and consumer protection can coexist, ensuring that the future of digital gaming remains competitive, accessible, and fair for everyone.

No innovation should result in a market where the consumer’s only choice is to accept the conditions imposed by a single supplier.

 

We’re not defending discs. We’re defending consumer choice.