PC gaming storefront Good Old Games (GOG) took the shot PlayStation By announcing on social media that players do not need storefront permission to play any purchased games. GOG's message comes just days after PlayStation announced its intention to move away from physical game discs by January 2028.
Sony's intention to move away from releasing PlayStation titles on physical discs after three decades quickly drew the ire of gamers, developers and other companies. Since PlayStation's announcement, fans have called for the company to reconsider its move away from physical media. Despite ongoing petitions against Sony's decision, consulting firm Kantan Games' Dr. Serkan Toto said that PlayStation is unlikely to change its stance against physical releases in 2028.
As the gaming industry criticized Sony's move towards digital exclusivity, GOG followed suit. Despite being a digital PC storefront, it said on social media that users can download an offline installer for any games on the GOG platform and save the data to a disc format of their choice to keep a copy. GOG reaffirmed its anti-DRM policy by stating that gamers do not need any storefront permission to play any game. Although Steam is the largest PC gaming storefront by many metrics, GOG has carved out a niche as one of the most reliable storefronts for getting classic and modern PC titles across multiple genres.
Make your perfect top ten manifest one at a time.
get started
Swap the two choices?
Choose two positions to swap before locking in your final ranking.
PlayStation's move towards digital exclusivity may pose a problem for some users. Some PlayStation users expressed concern that Sony's region-locking policies could prevent players who move to another country from playing any digital titles on their accounts. As of this writing, PlayStation Network users cannot change account-based country or region. However, this is not the case with Steam or Nintendo and Xbox consoles, as users can easily change or transfer regions. Although GOG didn't explicitly name Sony in its message, the point isn't lost on its user base. Many users responded with positive messages to GOG while also mocking PlayStation.
-
Image via Sony -
-
Image via PlayStation
Additionally, Sony may run into some legal headwinds with its upcoming changes. Plans to file a formal antitrust complaint against PlayStation were announced by two Mexican government officials, federal representative Iraís 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, codes must still be redeemed through Sony's network. Colossio claimed 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 on its plans, Sony later said that games released before January 2028 will necessarily have physical copies printed. So, like games Final Fantasy 7 Light Will likely be one of the last major titles to get a physical disc release on the PS5.
