Credit: AI
Last week, Sony announced it would cease production of physical PlayStation discs starting in 2028. The decision immediately sparked a wave of protests from collectors, gaming heritage advocates, and activists, some of whom appealed to regulators to intervene.
Speaking to reporters, Michael McGrath stated that EU authorities lack the authority to stop Sony’s initiative. “It all comes down to freedom of commerce and agreement. Companies are free to offer games and services as they see fit, as long as consumer rights are fully protected under national and European law,” the official said.
He also mentioned the European authorities’ response to the “Stop Killing Games” movement. The European Commission stated that it cannot adopt legislation or regulations requiring game publishers to maintain servers or offer solutions to keep games running after online services are shut down. However, the agency promised to work with representatives of the gaming industry and other stakeholders to develop a code of conduct for game preservation.
All of this puts the community of gaming heritage defenders in an extremely vulnerable position. The argument that a digital license does not equal ownership has long been debated in professional and consumer circles, but has yet to find legislative support either at the European level or in other major jurisdictions.