A Dutch consumer organization is using Sony's own decision to phase out physical discs as fresh ammunition in a $457 million lawsuit that was already making headlines.
Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SM&C) has been pursuing Sony over the 30% cut the company takes on every sale through the PlayStation Store. The core argument is straightforward: because Sony controls the only storefront available to PlayStation owners, it can set whatever price it wants with zero competitive pressure. Physical discs were the one workaround. Retailers could undercut digital prices, second-hand copies gave players a cheaper route in, and the resale market meant you actually owned something. Now Sony has announced it will discontinue physical disc releases entirely by 2028, and SM&C chair Lucia Melcherts says that removes the last check on Sony's pricing power.
"The end of physical discs removes the last place where a PlayStation game could still be bought and sold at a competitive price," Melcherts said. "No discs means no second-hand market and no alternative to the PlayStation Store, so from 2028, Sony alone decides what a game costs and even how long you are allowed to use it. That is exactly the harm our Fair PlayStation claim is about: a price can never be fair when the buyer is left with no ownership and no alternative."
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Why the disc decision hands SM&C a stronger argument
Here's the thing: the lawsuit was already in motion before Sony confirmed its disc exit. The original claim covers an estimated 1.7 million Dutch consumers who bought games digitally through the PlayStation Store since 2013, and the total damages sought sit at around $457 million. That figure was calculated under a market where physical retail still existed as an alternative. Once discs disappear entirely, the monopoly condition SM&C is describing becomes permanent rather than partial.
The 30% storefront cut Sony takes is not unique. Steam charges the same rate to developers, and a separate Dutch consumer group has separately targeted Valve over that very issue. The difference, and this is the key here, is that Steam does not manufacture your hardware. You can install competing storefronts, buy physical PC games, run alternate operating systems, and even do all of that on a Steam Deck. Sony controls both the console and the only legal storefront on it, which is a much closer parallel to Apple's App Store situation. Apple, after years of legal battles including Epic Games' high-profile challenge, was ultimately forced to allow alternative payment methods in certain markets. That precedent is not lost on SM&C.
What players actually lose when discs go away
The ownership question is bigger than pricing alone. Physical games can be resold, lent, preserved, and played indefinitely without any server dependency. A digital licence can be revoked, the storefront can be shut down, and the terms can change. Game preservation advocates have already flagged that a fully digital PlayStation ecosystem creates serious archival problems, with some arguing that private preservation efforts become the only realistic option when official access disappears.
For players planning upcoming PS5 purchases, things like preload dates and file sizes for Saros already reflect the digital-first direction Sony is moving. The infrastructure is there. The question is whether consumers have any recourse once the physical alternative is gone entirely.
The broader regulatory picture Sony is navigating
PlayStation's revenue figures are substantial. The 2025 fiscal year brought in roughly $29 billion for the PlayStation division. A $457 million lawsuit is not an existential threat at that scale, but it is not a rounding error either, and it arrives at a moment when regulators across Europe are increasingly willing to treat platform gatekeeping as an antitrust issue rather than just a business model.
Sony is not the only company watching this space nervously. The Apple vs. Epic ruling, the ongoing scrutiny of Google's Play Store, and now multiple lawsuits targeting console storefronts signal that the era of unchallenged 30% platform cuts may have a limited shelf life. Whether Sony offers some form of concession, such as allowing third-party storefronts or introducing price parity requirements, before 2028 will determine how much legal exposure it carries into the fully disc-free era.
For players keeping tabs on what's coming to PlayStation before that deadline, our Pragmata preload and file size guide covers one of the bigger upcoming digital releases. For everything else, the full guides hub has you covered as the platform shifts.
