Former PlayStation Store boss Gordon Thornton rejects allegations of price fixing and monopolization in digital game distribution and believes that publishers have sole control over pricing.
Given Sony's announced plans to phase out discs in January 2028, the pricing structure of the PlayStation Store has recently come under heavy criticism. Thornton in concrete Now, in an interview, Sony stated that it operates via a so-called buy/sell model, in which the publisher, as the supplier, sets the recommended retail price.
The buy-sell principle of the PlayStation Store
Behind the scenes of Sony's digital storefront, business operates differently than common monopoly criticism suggests. Thornton, who led Sony's direct-to-consumer business for almost two decades until 2022, points to the contractual reality. Sony buys digital licenses from the publisher and distributes them based on the price set by the publisher. According to the report, there is no one-sided, artificial price inflating by the platform operator.
The argument still falls short.
If Sony makes the physical drive virtually useless from 2028 onwards, free trade will completely collapse. Currently, the market is regulated through physical retail and the secondhand market – where dealers compete fiercely for the lowest prices. If this option disappears, publishers will no longer have any incentive to quickly lower digital prices. They control the market exclusively through a single digital storefront. Competition stimulates business. Its absence eliminates price pressure.
The silence of publishers regarding the end of discs
It is not surprising that the major publishers conspicuously reservedWhen it comes to Sony's departure from discs, they remain silent because they've been waiting for precisely this move. The physical used market has always been a thorn in the side of the gaming industry, as they don't earn a single cent from resales.
A digital store without physical competition means absolute control over the product lifecycle. Discounts are only available if the publisher allows them – and not because a retailer needs to clear their inventory. Thornton's defense of this closed ecosystem with "frequent sales and promotions" is pure PR spin.
If Sony, as the console manufacturer, stipulates that new games for its platform may only be released physically on disc, publishers must comply. Sony controls the console architecture, licenses, and server infrastructure; without Sony's approval, no publisher can release a game on the console.
All you read about these days is GTA 6 and Sony's supposed end of CDs. We already own most of our games digitally, so nothing really changes for us. We're looking forward to Halo (July 28th), Godzilla Melee, Wolverine (September 15th), and GTA 6 (November 19th).
Honestly, many people are still making a huge fuss about these PlayStation signatures, as if Sony decides whether games are released on disc or not. That's simply not true.
Game publishers themselves decide whether a game is released digitally, on CD, or not physically produced at all. Companies like Rockstar, Ubisoft, EA, or Bethesda determine this – not PlayStation.
Sony is only adapting because they provide the platform. If a publisher says, "We're only releasing the game digitally," then PlayStation has to accept that. There's nothing they can do about it.
And all these signature campaigns?
People can forget about it. It's completely pointless because the decision doesn't lie with Sony. Manufacturers look at costs, profits, and market trends – not at some petitions on the internet.
In short:
PlayStation doesn't decide that.
The manufacturers decide that.
Sony is simply adapting.
And signatures change absolutely nothing about that.
Marc Chen Jordi is wrong. Sony is allowed to dictate to the manufacturer, and if Sony were to say that only disc games will be produced here, otherwise the game won't be released for the PS5, then the publisher is forced to comply or is not allowed to release the game for the PS5, as Sony could block the publisher if they wanted to.
Sony also made downloadable games available because they arranged them and therefore have more control; however, they could ban downloadable games overnight…
Dany Frieeze, I think you've misunderstood. Sony doesn't decide whether a game is released on disc or digitally. That's up to the game developers themselves. Sony simply provides the platform and adapts to what the publishers specify. If a developer says a game will only be released digitally, Sony can't just prohibit it or "block" the publisher. That's not how it works. All the signatures are therefore pointless because the decision doesn't lie with PlayStation, but with the companies that make the games.
Marc Chen Jordi Yes, and if Sony says you can't get on the platform if you offer it via download, then you won't sell anything.
Sony holds the upper hand here, and if they say that no more downloads will be offered on the Sony platform, then that will be the case…the platform belongs to Sony, not the publisher.
The publisher can decide what he wants, but he won't sell it to Sony.
And if Sony says that starting tomorrow, there will be no more games on disc or download for the PS5, but rather on something new because they are no longer offering those, then that's what will happen.
Otherwise, the publisher could just as easily say, "No, I'm going back to floppy disks," or Nintendo's cartridges, which wouldn't even work. The one who offers the content decides what goes on their platform first.
There's no need to tell fairy tales here…
Dany Frieeze 🤔I'm reading a lot of comments here that are completely confused. So I'll summarize clearly how it actually works – with real facts, not just claims.
Many people think that PlayStation / Sony decides whether games are released on disc or only digitally.
That's not true.
The publishers/game developers decide that themselves.
Companies like Rockstar, Ubisoft, EA, Bethesda, etc., determine whether a game is released digitally, on disc, or is no longer physically produced at all.
Sony only provides the platform and adapts to what the manufacturers release.
If a publisher says, "We're only releasing the game digitally," Sony can't forbid that or ban the publisher. That's not how the industry works.
Sony can't simply say:
"From tomorrow onwards, there will be no more downloads."
or
"From tomorrow onwards, it's only discs."
That would be economically impossible because the content belongs to the publishers, not Sony.
Sony may set technical requirements – but not determine the distribution method.
That's why all these signature campaigns are pointless.
Not because Sony is "evil", but because the decision doesn't even lie with Sony.
Manufacturers look at costs, profit, market trends and production effort – and not at petitions on the internet.
These are facts.
Everything else that some people claim is unfounded theory.
📚 🔍 Official sources for further reading (all publicly accessible)
PlayStation Developer Program (Sony)
Sony states clearly:
Publishers determine the distribution format (disc or digital).
Source: PlayStation Partners – Publishing Guidelines
partners.playstation.net
ESA – Industry Standard
The Entertainment Software Association confirms:
Publishers decide on physical or digital, not the platform owners.
Source:
theesa.com
Ubisoft – Digital Strategy
Ubisoft publicly states that they decide for themselves whether a game is released digitally or physically.
Source: Ubisoft Investor Relations
(“Ubisoft Digital Strategy”)
EA – Digital First
EA states that they will decide on disc/digital themselves, independently of Sony or Microsoft.
Source: EA Investor Relations
(ir.ea.com)
Rockstar Games Release Policy
Rockstar decides on disc/digital release (e.g., GTA Trilogy digital first, disc later).
Source: Rockstar Support
GDC – Publishing Talks
Game Developers Conference Panels explain:
The platform belongs to Sony, but the content and distribution method belong to the publisher.
Source: GDC Vault
😉In short:
• Publishers decide on disc or digital.
• Sony is simply adapting.
• The platform belongs to Sony, but the content belongs to the manufacturers.
Signatures don't change anything.
• These are facts – everything else is theory.
No one ever owns the game, just as the account never belonged to you. It's also stated in the terms and conditions. If I hear arguments like "nobody reads them," well, that's their own fault. The license can be revoked digitally as well as with discs. Some people act as if this happens all the time, which isn't the case. You also have to remember that Sony or Microsoft aren't always the ones pulling the strings. If the publishers don't renew the license, the game has to be removed from the store, and discs and hardware wear out, making it unplayable.
Mario Hornauer, terms and conditions clauses can also be illegal, do you have any idea?
And no, nobody is allowed to take away your disc/license, that's also illegal.
You have no idea about law.
My PC is coming towards me, I'm out of here!
Yeah, nobody wants to listen to people who have a little foresight… Of course prices will rise, and even more so after all alternatives are eliminated…
Gaming has always been an overpriced hobby. A few extra euros won't make much difference.
Merlin Kleinert: I'm not Sony's little bitch. You don't have to go through life like a kowtow, agreeing with everything and accepting everything.
Sony is a profit-oriented company – if the money dries up, the course will be changed so radically that the management will suffer whiplash and go with it.
I've come to terms with the fact that either A: Many people participate and don't buy anything from Sony, or B: No one/few participate and I drop Sony and switch to PC gaming or give up gaming altogether.
If I don't own anything, then I can either watch a YouTube game movie sometime or simply do without it altogether. Personally, I work for my money and would like to get something of value for my money. And what is a purchasable rental license worth if it can be revoked, removed from the store, or otherwise disappear at any time?
Sony will only become interesting again when a jailbreak is available. Or maybe I'll be so far removed from gaming by then that I won't even notice 😉
For everyone else who accepts this:
Have fun gaming, but please don't complain if prices rise because Sony has a monopoly.
Marco Gepunkt: With a disc, you own nothing but a piece of plastic that Sony can make dependent on the server at any time via a patch. 🙂 And not everyone who buys digital games is a sycophant. That's just the new buzzword you kids use. Besides, games are just a hobby. If you lose that, you just find something else. Or is gaming a necessary evil for you disc fetishists?
Merlin Kleinert is absolutely right, everything's been said 👌 It's just fashionable to hate everything to the core... tons of money are thrown away on every other piece of crap, but when it comes to gaming, everyone just whines 🤣
Merlin Kleinert, this only applies to the PS5. You can still play all the previous models without any patches, and Sony isn't going to break the games on the current PS5 either. The only downside is that not everything is on disc anymore, which would have been possible. 150GB DVDs have been around for ages, and they would have continued developing them if they'd wanted to. This is just about control. From the PS6 onwards, you can definitely forget about everything. There are still some games on the PS5 that are sometimes entirely on disc—not many, but some.
That's why this generation of consoles is the last for me.
Merlin Kleinert: Yes, it does. Because you cast your vote with your wallet, even if the price were one euro more.
Fatih Zeyrek: And? Those who can, can. Not everyone is a low-income earner.
Merlin Kleinert, you don't understand.
Borderlands 4 currently costs €80 in the PS Store, but you can get it new on disc from Netgames.de for €25 (regular price, not on sale). Ninja Gaiden 4 is €70 in the PS Store, but €40 new at Netgames, and so on. After two or three months, all games on disc are significantly cheaper than in the PS Store. And if you buy two or three games a month, you can easily save over €1.000 a year. I'd rather use the money I save to take my wife out for a nice meal or as a down payment for our next vacation.
If the prices of new products are only dropping very, very slowly, then I'll also only proceed with the migration from current-gen to next-gen console very, very slowly. 😉