Sony has issued a statement to clarify a brewing confusion around DRM and game licenses on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Last week, fans and content creators were surprised by the sight of a 30-day timer attached to newly-purchased digital games. As such, users were wondering if the games would be unplayable if a console was offline for longer than a month, for example.
In an statement to Game File, a PlayStation representative said that players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual. But there is a new policy in place that explains the timer.
“A one-time online check is required after purchase to confirm the game’s license, after which no further check-ins are needed,” the representative told Game File.
YouTuber Lance McDonald was one of the first users to spread the news via social media, sharing a screenshot of Don’t Starve Together: Console Edition that displayed a start and end date in “valid period” fields, as well as a field that showed 20 days as “remaining time.”
Related:Nintendo is winding down original Switch sales in Europe
Apparently, the policy revolves around new PSN purchases, and isn’t retroactive to users’ existing libraries. A looming worry from users is that games would now require an online check-in every 30 days. According to the representative, this shouldn’t be the case.
DRM and game licenses have been a topic of conversation for years now. In late 2024, California introduced a law that compels retailers to disclose that always-online games could eventually be shut down and delisted. The law went into effect on January 1, 2025, as part of a large consumer protection and false advertising bill.
As for more general news around PlayStation, Sony announced the new pricing for hardware in Southeast Asian countries earlier this week. The new recommended retail pricing also impacted the United States, making it the second price hike in the last year.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
