Sony Clarifies That PlayStation Games Will Not Be Subject to 30-Day DRM Checks

It's only a one-time thing, apparently.

Digital "ownership" is a very hot topic among gamers. Thanks to the shady ways in which games are sold digitally to consumers, in most instances people don't actually outright own the games that they download. Instead, these purchases grant the customer contingent access via a license, one that comes with a whole web of strings attached that can result in access being terminated for a variety of reasons. Platforms go bankrupt, licensing deals change, and so on, are all factores that can result in someone's digital library going up in so many sparks.

A recent panic over this very sort of issue came from a change made by Sony to digital content on its PlayStation consoles. Towards the end of April, reports were coming in from users that Sony had initiated a new DRM system that would check the game licenses on a PlayStation 4 or 5 every 30 days. Once the 30 days pass, if a PlayStation console isn't connected to the Internet for a new license validation, the games would become unplayable. This naturally left a rotten taste in the mouths of PlayStation fans, and to make matters worse, Sony was silent on the issue for a long time.

Well, the company has finally broken that silence with a statement to Game File. Here's what a Sony spokesman had to say:

Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual. A one-time check is required after purchase to confirm the game's license, after which no further checks are needed.

This means that players, thankfully, will not need to check in every month with the validation fairy to keep enjoying their games. Although digital media isn't anything new, the growing prevalance of downloaded music, movies, games, and other content among consumers continues to make the slippery slope of ownership a more pressing concern. Eventually, someone at the federal level is going to have to step in on the part of consumers to ensure that there is no question that people who buy digital content have reasonable, enfettered access to it as they would with any physical book, Blu-ray, and so on. For now, this is a small but welcome concession—it's just a shame Sony made everyone sweat it out before clarifying!

Source: Game File