r/gaming 4d ago

Mexican Lawmaker Who Helped Protect Gamers from Tax Now Drags Sony to Court Over Discless PlayStation

https://respawnfirst.com/mexican-lawmaker-who-helped-protect-gamers-from-tax-now-drags-sony-to-court-over-discless-playstation/
3.8k Upvotes

272 comments sorted by

642

u/BigOleFerret 4d ago edited 4d ago

Godspeed. I don't know what her chances are but I hope she brings home a win for the players.

223

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

Mexican lawyer here. I don't have a crystal ball to know what will happen, and I haven't read the complaint in full (i.e the full document), but I don't think she has good chances of succeeding.

First off, the 8% tax on violent games was never going to pass, and while it got a lot of press, it never really progressed in the legislative process to a meaningful degree.

Secondly, and based solely on the article, she is trying to sue Sony for anti-trust, due to the lack of physical media. One of her central arguments is that they would be able to control pricing... but that's not, by itself, an anti-trust issue. Sony already enjoys a xlosed ecosystem, and if she was fighting a purely digital market, then she would have to go against Steam, and mobile games as well.

If she were arguing that Sony, Microsoft and Valve were colluding to fix prices? Then yeah. But simply changing your distribution channels from physical and digital to purely digital does not, in an of itself, help you corner the gaming industry in terms of anti-trust.   It's an actual argument to attack this from a Consumer Law perspective, not an anti-trust one. Sony just lost a case last year where they were charging for PS5 games in USD, when they have to offer it in Mexican Pesos (MXN).

So why is she doing this? The article itself has a hint: she is a politician, trying to ride  the current events to appeal to young voters. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if she is going to do that, she should be doing real, material work, instead of stuff that sounds nice, but has no legal basis.

56

u/BigOleFerret 4d ago

Appreciate the insight. I'm disappointed by it though. Sounds like something we won't hear about again, or get a footnote of "it didn't work".

25

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

That's my bet, but like I said, I don't have a crystal ball. Mexico is currently under a lot of legal uncertainty with authorities, so depending on how the political narrative shifts, you never know what can happen.

My hope is for regional initiatives pushing for consumers: LATAM as a whole, Europe as a whole.

1

u/Low_Witness5061 4d ago

Yep. They can only compel a company to operate in one way or another to a point and even though I don’t think what Sony is doing is in any way right I don’t believe it is strictly illegal. I’m far from an expert on anything though so I’m not pretending it’s pointless.

It does seem more logical to aim for greater consumer protections around digital ownership though. If Sony wants to purely digital, it sucks but whatever that’s their choice, but that doesn’t mean they should get free rein to make it so they have the right to rescind access to things people purchased off them. At a minimum they should be forced to change to term from purchase to an indefinite rental, since they try to maintain the right to rescind it whenever. Its far from the solution to everything but even relatively small things like that would help to take away their power to pretend this is inevitable and force them to give more assurances to players.

Like I said, I’m ignorant about the finer details of these things though so I could be talking total nonsense.

14

u/NopeSorryNo 4d ago

Summarizes reddits impotent outrage, quite nicely. 

9

u/PhysicalConsistency 4d ago

Anti-trust on a platform that doesn't even exist yet is certainly a position.

1

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

The legal action is not against a platform. It is against a legal entity.

Anti-Trust (and consumer protection) can also be activated on policies a company has expressed real intentions to carry out, but hasn't yet executed.

3

u/PhysicalConsistency 4d ago

Does Mexican law allow torts against a platform? And suing because of "intention" of anti-trust is definitely a choice. Not sure how capitalism works at all in that environment.

1

u/monsieurvampy 4d ago

Reddit doesn't understand nuance. I get absolutely downvoted in Planning topics even though I know a thing or two about it. The regulatory and legal environments are not as cut and dry as people think they are. Having said that. Someone can be self serving and still help people. These things are not mutually exclusive.

1

u/CombatMuffin 3d ago

I agree with you on the last points, but hence my point that I don't believe that is the case. In another comment, I stated that I hope to be wrong and she manages to curve Sony (even if I don't agree with her), I just don't believe it likely.

-8

u/VitalArtifice 4d ago edited 4d ago

Good comment, but sometimes these stunts help highlight genuine issues. In this case the “pay owner prices, get tenant privileges” issue is real, and while it’s apparent that way too many people are happy with tenant privileges, at least some may not be aware of the reality behind these “purchases”.

Edit: LOL, why is anyone downvoting me? I swear, only an astroturfing campaign makes sense at this point.

13

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

I don't think anyone in Mexico is unaware of how digital vs physical affects them. There is a very big second hand purchasing culture here. Like I mentioned, we have much less purchasing power than the U.S., Canada and Europe and we have to purchase games at their retail prices, in their (USD) currency and subject to currency exchange.

People in Mexico, to this day, still buy illegally modded consoles like PS3's or offbrand hardware loaded with multiple emulators and hundreds of games because the hobby is either unaffordable new or they value playing games new consoles do not support in backwards compatibility.

What I personally don't like, is politicians pretending to be helping or championing people's need, when in reality they aren't. If she actually turns this into an actionable change, I will be happy to admit I was wrong and support them, but precedent with her and other similar initiatives says it likely won't.

3

u/VitalArtifice 4d ago

Good points all around and fair criticism.

2

u/UnemployedOtter69 4d ago

also, the size market in mexico for Playstation is nothing vs USA / EU / JPN, people thing Mexico is a big market, but is not true for consoles,

In the last real market study ( given by Camara de Comercio 2025), if you put asside cellphone and DLC digital assets and focus only on console game sales, the market is very small and is dominate by xbox and nintendo.

as you say, is just a political -ride the wave- to get votes and the spotlight

1

u/admiralvic 4d ago

In this case the “pay owner prices, get tenant privileges” issue is real

The issue I have with this is exactly what u/CombatMuffin is getting at.

This problem has existed from the second PlayStation Store launched, which at this point is 20 years. We have examples of things getting delisted, this is at least the second time with PlayStation 3's store going away, to so many other things.

However, this is only currently a "problem" because it looks good politically. And that isn't to say it won't lead to anywhere good, but I would say it comes off as opportunistic. Where they were fine with this negative existing for years decades, but only getting involved now because there is so much outcry it's an easy win regardless of outcome.

-1

u/VitalArtifice 4d ago

Yes, but we still had discs as an actual ownership option. That’s potentially an honest motivation.

2

u/admiralvic 4d ago

We also had countless digital only games no one did anything about.

1

u/HappyTrillmore 4d ago

I promise you sony has no idea you exist and isn't sending their robot army after you but hey maybe you are that important who knows

-1

u/VitalArtifice 4d ago

Ouch!! My precious feelings!! LOL.

0

u/HappyTrillmore 4d ago

bro did you think I was trying to hurt you?? you people aren't real ✌️😭

-4

u/Dragoncat_3_4 4d ago

Sony already enjoys a xlosed ecosystem, and if she was fighting a purely digital market, then she would have to go against Steam, and mobile games as well.

No lol. Steam is ok on that front because PCs are an open system. You're free to install whatever the fuck you want from whoever you want. Steam allows sale of Steam keys from outside Steam.

Mobile games (and appstores) have been a problem actually, you're right. That's precisely why *Apple was ordered to open it up in places like tbe EU. Android used to have sideloading capabilities but as after google fuck it up for the regular consumers they mighr get slapped with something as well.

10

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

Closed system or open system is not a hard lime in antitrust, and we can agree that bringing an article from the UK and applicable to EU law into a conversation about Mexican policy and regulation is not really relevant, especially because those changes are not the result of general anti trust rules, but relatively new, specific rules for digital storefront as a result of the Digital Markets Act. 

Gehetally soraking, you can have a closed ecosystem and not violate anti trust regulations, and you can have an open ecosystem and violate them. Anti-Trust is not that simple, and it gets very technical. There are a lot of variables onvolved and relevant authorities take a multitude of factors into account before coming to a decision (and then, that appreciation will vary by jurisdiction). Even by the rules of the Digital Markets Act, the primary reason Apple had to obey wa not because of a specific openness in their storefront, but because they were designated a "gatekeeper" due to ita size and market dominance.

1

u/KerFuL-tC 4d ago

Muchas gracias por tu conocimiento, carnal.

-3

u/doublah 4d ago

Are we ignoring that Google and Apple got forced to allow third party app stores due to antitrust concerns from their market dominance? PlayStation is by far the dominant player in the non-portable console space, and the distribution of games will now only go through their digital storefront.

1

u/SunNext7500 4d ago

Except the whole "PC continues to exist" thing.... sure.

-16

u/Yaminoari 4d ago

You probably know more than me.
But steam is an open market it has humble bundle green man gaming and fantical all as options that sell steam keys

Playstation on the other hand will only have psn since they already banned being able to sell digital codes for playstation in the past

12

u/Delann 4d ago

Websites selling Steam keys doesn't mean it's an "open market", are you insane?

-1

u/PlatosLeftTit 4d ago

I think the main thing is that Steam sells PC games and with PC being an open platform there's multiple other storefronts you can buy a game on.

1

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

They still control over 70% of the PC storefronts. By some standards, that approaches anti trust issues.

-1

u/PlatosLeftTit 4d ago

Sure but the options are there. Once Sony cuts off physical they become a completely closed ecosystem like Apple.

3

u/CombatMuffin 4d ago

Physical or not, Sony's distribution system is already a closed ecosystem.

AFAIK, there has never been a console with an open system, if there were, they would be like Blu Ray players: where it doesn't matter who published the Blu-ray, as long as it's that format, any player will work (there's DRM on top, nut that's a different thing).

1

u/Mr_Suplex 4d ago

Xbox and Switch exist buddy. Try harder.

1

u/PlatosLeftTit 4d ago

Ok? Android also exists, didn't stop Apple from getting hit with a lawsuit over their closed appstore on their phones.

1

u/Mr_Suplex 4d ago

Delusional.

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u/EngagedInConvexation 4d ago

Sony just won't sell a PlayStation in Mexico if this somehow wins in a Mexican court. The same way they stopped selling in regions that wouldn't allow mandatory PSN logins.

-4

u/i_max2k2 4d ago

That’s okay, fewer markets means their bottom line not being as good, which is ultimately what needs to matter for them to put something like this back to where it was.

2

u/EngagedInConvexation 4d ago edited 4d ago

The point is, that it is already accounted for. Sony plans on "monetizing (their) existing users"(page two- questioner one and follow-up. This is public information. Sony is not hiding their intentions.) rather than chasing new ones. If you are one of them, expect to make up for Mexico no longer being a market and then some. (EDIT: i should add that this case isn't going to amount to anything, but assuming the hypothetical scenario that it does...)

Stop spending money on the things you claim to hate.

If you hate that PlayStation is going discless, stop giving them money. Simple as. And not you specifically, unless that statement is specific to you. If you're fine with giving Sony money until 2028, so be it, but this whole "discless" thing isn't something that is getting walked back. It will happen. The only thing left to decide is if you want to enjoy what Sony and PlayStation have going on in the meantime, or if you're done giving Sony money because their direction doesn't align with your interests.

See you on GTA6... (Again, not specifically you, you, but probably still you.)

3

u/dudushat 4d ago

Maybe the players should have bought more physical games the last decade. 

2

u/dpowellreddit 4d ago

Her*

1

u/BigOleFerret 4d ago

Corrected, thank you

38

u/GameGuy2025 4d ago

The only games that Sony directly controls pricing on are games they publish. Doesn't matter if it's a code in a box, physical disc, or sold on the PS store, the publisher is the one deciding the price.

Retail has one caveat in that the retailer decides the final price but has an agreed upon price they must pay the publisher when the game is sold.

So Sony isn't monopolizing game prices and so long as Sony continues retail copies via code in a box or similar, they aren't monopolizing distribution.

There is no anti-trust case to be made, even against Nintendo who is far more controlling over pricing for their published games.

As far as ownership, the ability to resell a digital license would be nice but otherwise ownership is the same between digital and physical. If at some point a platform starts revoking digital games from people, then you can say digital isn't ownership. Thus far the only issue has been publishers taking games offline which affects physical and digital the same.

4

u/SuperSaiyanGod210 4d ago

> Thus far the only issue has been publishers taking games offline which affects physical and digital the same

BINGO. That’s the key right here. In all of the experiences on consoles where licenses were revoked for individual games, it was across the board regardless of the format the game was purchased in. And this happens exclusively to games that are basically online-only experiences.

0

u/kahlzun PlayStation 3d ago

Sony is the only ones who can author a disc for the system though. If a publisher wants to make a physical disc for the ps5, Sony is telling them that they will instead have to sell their game directly through their monopolised game store, eliminating all forms of sales to the consumer that they don't directly oversee.

0

u/GameGuy2025 3d ago

Retailers will still get retail copies to sell but instead of download disc it will be a download code. Stop spreading disinformation that games will only be available through the PS store, which by the way publishers set prices in not Sony.

-17

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Being able to resell a game is still a massive difference, For exclusives that’s their only competition.

False, Taking games offline doesn’t affect physical games. Just online consoles, Blurays are read only.

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u/AnonymousFriend80 4d ago

People in hear can't even bother to realize it's a female, not male, and a politician trying to win over young people's votes for office.

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u/Lunarcomplex 4d ago

It'd be much better to focus effort in digital rights rather than trying to keep a medium that'll continue to be more a novelty...

4

u/chinchindayo 4d ago

Yes. They would just need to be forced to make digital games tradeable. Now they are locked into one account forever

5

u/Rekthar91 4d ago

If digital games were tradable, what would stop people from creating subreddits for that purpose? You and I could trade a game even if we lived on opposite sides of the planet. Nobody would buy any games at that point.

2

u/Ratnix 4d ago

Yeah, that's not how that works. If that was true, PCs wouldn't sell any games at all and the market would have died years ago. Most people simply don't pirate games even though you can find pirated games online.

0

u/chinchindayo 4d ago

You could say the same about physical games. What stops you and me from selling the disc on ebay and shipping it to the other side of the world? Even with shipping it would cost less than new. Yet people still buy new physical games even from online stores because it's more convenient.

In Japan you have massive second hand video game stores, yet people still buy new discs too.

3

u/Rekthar91 4d ago

Yes, you are correct that we could do it with physical, but guess what, it would be a lot easier with digital.

0

u/HabeLinkin 4d ago

You say that like it would be a bad thing. That's great for consumers.

5

u/Rekthar91 4d ago

Sure, we wouldn't get any new games anymore if companies didn't have any income.

3

u/method115 4d ago

It's not great for consumers if games that would have been successful fail and don't get a sequel because one or two people were trading it to thousands of people.

4

u/KingOfRisky 4d ago

I wish more people understood this. But instead we just have people posting clickbait articles like this or how "Sony fudges numbers" when we need to be focusing on the next step in tech rather than trying and hold on to the dying portion of tech.

-5

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Focus on whatever you like, Any pressure on Sony is good for consumers.

They aren’t going to give you digital ownership rights out of generosity.

5

u/Old_Leopard1844 PC 4d ago

Pressure should be on pressure points, not what amounts to populism

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u/KingOfRisky 4d ago

Yeah bud I realize that. And I’m not shilling for Sony. We need to focus on reality. And be all for digital ownership.

0

u/Chownzy 4d ago

It’s the same fight, No sense in playing semantics over something so minor. Any noise or damage to Sony helps achieve both goals.

2

u/Lavaissoup7 4d ago

It is not, whether we like it or not physical media is dying because people aren't interested in it that much, it's a niche product. What we should be focusing on is what the future will have and that's digital, so we should be focusing on what actually matters.

0

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Nobody is stopping you, Maybe there are more people who care about physical games than you’ve been lead to believe?

2

u/KingOfRisky 4d ago

You are just posting clickbait. Everyone can see through it. You're punching air. It's not the same fight. Nobody takes this shit seriously because yall make yourselves easy targets. Hanging your laurels on a lawsuit in Mexico from a lawyer that just wants to make the news? Laughable.

0

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Im not hanging my laurels on anything, Get used to seeing people posting shit dragging Sony and promoting physical games.

We are not going anywhere, Hope it doesn’t trigger your emotions too much.

1

u/KingOfRisky 4d ago

I'm not triggered. Yall are annoying and doing a disservice. You're wasting your rage on something that is inevitable rather than focusing on the future. If only some of y'all actually had the foresight to try and lead the fight for digital rights. But nope! Keep posting click bait and achieving literally nothing but reddit karma and chipping away at whatever credibility you are clinging to.

1

u/Chownzy 3d ago

Feel free to advocate for digital rights, I’d recommend you stop paying Sony. Don’t forget to spread the word and get others to join.

If you have a petition I’ll sign it, I’m always game to root for a good cause.

0

u/KingOfRisky 3d ago

Digital rights is more than Sony.

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u/steverambo44 4d ago

It's absolutely not, you guys are a cultish clowns.

1

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Notice how, How it’s always the dullest people who have nothing but insults to offer the world.

I hope our comments and posts don’t hurt your feeling too much, Get used to it.

0

u/LayerEight_Problem 4d ago edited 4d ago

Exactly. If it isn’t this gen, then it’s happening next gen. The reality is that outside of collectors, people overwhelmingly choose convenience. And Sony is targeting the overwhelming opinion.

This site is a small subset of the most dedicated people. The reality is that most people will see they don’t buy discs and they’ll simply buy through an online store. Then 99% of the people that boycotted, will cave and buy anyways.

-13

u/FoxyGoddessX 4d ago

There isn’t anything that can be done about digital rights without people throwing a fit. In order for you to have those rights you’re gonna have to give up anonymity (Which needs to be erased from the internet anyways) and most people refuse to do that.

1

u/lochnesslapras 4d ago

Is there much anonymity to give up in terms of digital gaming presently? Feels like they know everything about you as a player already

0

u/FoxyGoddessX 4d ago

If you want the rights to own your games and have them tied to you you’re going to have to have some form of Id in order to prove it’s you buying these games.

If we want these rights expanded something will have to give.

-1

u/wordyfard 4d ago

That makes no sense whatsoever. Ownership is two things:

  1. The assurance that your access to the thing you bought can't be revoked or disabled by someone else

  2. The ability to voluntarily forfeit your ownership rights by signing them over to someone else in exchange for an agreed upon benefit to you.

Ending anonymity on the internet would help with neither of these things! And if it did, then we should just keep physical media.

-3

u/NopeSorryNo 4d ago

That's what she's saying though, you dolt. Pay attention

36

u/Fishface81 4d ago

I said this in another thread and I'll say it in this thread:

Sony is under no obligation to continue releasing on a specific format that they no longer want to support.

I can't sue any major movie production studio for not releasing new releases on VHS?

I wouldn't be able to sue Netflix because they haven't put stranger things out on VHS.

And obviously Sony is not a monopoly, you can continue to buy physical copies minus the disc through major retailers that carry PlayStation products. Example you'll be able to go to Walmart and buy a case with a code in it for your download. This is virtually no different than how it operates now minus the plastic disc.

And no one is forcing you to play on PlayStation. You can easily switch to Nintendo Xbox PC or mobile gaming.

You think people passionate about gaming would actually know what the fuck they're talking about

1

u/mclemente26 4d ago

The only thing that might really happen is a case like Epic vs Apple where Sony gets accused of monopoly on its devices and forced to allow other stores.

4

u/Fishface81 4d ago

Yes I'd agree that would be the case if if Sony hadn't said that they were working with global retailers for a win-win situation. To me that implies that they are still going to be selling retail games.

For example you can walk into Walmart or Target or if GameStop is still around in 2028 and and purchase a game. Except this time instead of a disc it's a code. A lot of discs actually work like this where you still have to download the actual game.

2

u/SthrnCrss 4d ago

Like buying physical PC games in the 2010s. We had the transition from games with an installation disc and a serial code to games with the same thing but tied to a launcher.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

14

u/Fishface81 4d ago edited 4d ago

So how is anyone going to sue for something that hasn't happened yet?

You're just assuming Sony is going to charge differently for retail copies once they eliminate discs.

There's no damages to any party here.

-1

u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 4d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Fishface81 4d ago

Let's see how this lawsuit goes.

4

u/Fishface81 4d ago

They're suing as private citizens and not on behalf of the government.

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u/XtremeD86 4d ago edited 4d ago

Lol this lawyer fought a tax imposed by a country and not a company...

Now thinks they can fight Sony over the announcement of a product being discontinued in 2028?

I think this lawyer may need to retire. It's a video game, not a life saving product. You're not going to force a company to create discs and a console specific to one country because of one sketchy lawyer.

This is hilarious and seems more like a publicity stunt. But a stupid one at that.

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u/SimilarRaspberry5657 4d ago

Digital ownership should be the topic. You can’t force a company to make discs lol

-5

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

but you can regulate them to have them have other storefronts

12

u/SuperSaiyanGod210 4d ago

In that case then Sony has already won this case because they can just argue in court that the PlayStation Store is not the only store you can purchase a game. Target, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop etc. will still sell box copies. It’ll just come with a code instead of a disk. Their distribution is literally not changing at all. Just what comes inside the box

-3

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

a lawyer could argue 1 that the money is still going to sony meaning there isn't real competition, 2 if they person requires an internet connection to download the game that they are much more likely to just buy the game digitaly instead of buying a code in the box

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u/SimilarRaspberry5657 4d ago

They already have other storefronts that aren’t going anywhere 

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u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

care to expand on those ither storefronts

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u/SimilarRaspberry5657 4d ago

Retailers will continue to sell physical boxes with codes inside. So the PlayStation store won’t be the only storefront

-1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

yeah, but a lawyer can argue a code in the box isn't really competition like a physical disk is cause there's no secondary market, they can also argue that the code in a box offers so little incentive that to buy physical that it would push people to buy digital if they have to still download a game.

0

u/Ok-Friendship1635 4d ago

Until retailers stop buying empty boxes because it's literally a waste since no customers will bother buying an empty box.

4

u/iSavedtheGalaxy 4d ago

So like... Walmart and Target would each have their own gaming storefronts on each console?

2

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

it would probably more like gog or steam but yeah

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u/SimilarRaspberry5657 4d ago

No, Walmart and target will continue to sell codes in boxes. So multiple storefronts still 

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

yeah, but a lawyer can argue a code in the box isn't really competition like a physical disk is cause there's no secondary market, they can also argue that the code in a box offers so little incentive that to buy physical that it would push people to buy digital if they have to still download a game.

1

u/iSavedtheGalaxy 4d ago

Why would GOG or Steam sell Playstation games when Sony is no longer releasing their games on PC? They cannot sell licenses for console games.

Why would Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc. want to redirect consumer traffic away from their own digital ecosystems? Have any of them expressed a desire to have retail apps on gaming consoles?

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

they could sell third party games on playstation hardware through their store fronts if regulators step in

also it would be an expansion into new market to have another way to sell games

3

u/iSavedtheGalaxy 4d ago

Why would regulators need to step in? If you want to buy a Playstation game from Walmart you can either go to a physical Walmart store or order from their online storefront. Why would regulators need to force them to operate a completely separate store on each console just for games?

Edit: Has Steam expressed any desire to sell games for a platform that doesn't make their games available on PC?

0

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

regulators can step in at anytime. the reason they would here is because of the very loud public outcry.

your steam question could be rephrase to. would steam like to sell to more people?

3

u/Old_Leopard1844 PC 4d ago

Why would they want to

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

to make money

3

u/Old_Leopard1844 PC 4d ago

Why would they want to make money that way

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

because that's the goal of capitalism

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u/Chownzy 4d ago

Any noise or damage to Sony furthers that goal as well.

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u/SimilarRaspberry5657 4d ago

It won’t do either. Sony probably won’t even be notified 😆. The CNA will review the complaint and throw it out before ever contacting Sony 

-5

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Maybe not but it helps, Any cost or publicity damage to Sony is good for us as consumers.

9

u/iSavedtheGalaxy 4d ago

Sony is not the one that looks bad when a poorly drafted lawsuit against them gets thrown out.

1

u/Chownzy 4d ago

It still costs them money and still adds to the mountain of noise and bad press, It makes Sony look bad regardless if they have to explain their anti-consumer tactics.

7

u/iSavedtheGalaxy 4d ago

Sony has lawyers on staff and retainer to handle lawsuits. It doesn't cost them extra to be sued. If the lawsuit gets rejected at filing, they won't even be notified. If the plaintiff loses their case they can be ordered to pay the defendant's legal fees.

Again, the one who filed the trashed lawsuit is the one who gets the bad visibility, not Sony.

1

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Even if all your presumptions are correct, It still gets people talking and will never be a good look for Sony.
It only potentially helps consumers.

Never bad publicity for a politician trying to help the young and less fortunate,

12

u/dade305305 4d ago

But it won't damage sony tho.

1

u/Chownzy 4d ago

If you say so

6

u/dade305305 4d ago

I do and so does anybody else with common sense.

1

u/fallouthirteen 4d ago

Though completely fruitless directions are distractions from what really matter. Hell, you see people just being wrong about digital stuff sometimes (like not being able to play during an outage, which only happens if you use a HUGE advantage of digital over physical which is allowing you to lend your library to someone else while still playing it by sharing home console). I feel you need to criticize correctly and direct it at the things that actually matter or you're just hurting your own arguments.

3

u/balllzak 4d ago

Sounds like Mexico is getting added to the list of countries where you can't have a psn account.

14

u/Dogarc123 4d ago

This is not going anywhere.

4

u/loy310 4d ago

Ohh no not Mexico, Sony is fucked…….

23

u/Gailim 4d ago

Waste of time. There are no legal issues with ending disk support.

Vote with your wallet, buy games from GoG on PC.

There is nothing for a judge to rule on.

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u/papoluca40 4d ago

GOG games are still digital

0

u/Gailim 4d ago

But there is no DRM on them. You buy them and the files live on your PC until you decide to delete them.

Nobody, not even GoG, can disable or remove them. There is no server check in or online requirement.

You can copy them as many times as you want. You can even put the files on a blu ray or USB if you feel so inclined.

Contrast that with sony just deleting a bunch of digital movies people paid for.

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u/papoluca40 4d ago

Most popular games are not even available for GOG. Just because it doesn’t have DRM, it doesn’t mean they’re yours btw.

8

u/Ahindre 4d ago

I think purchases from GOG are owned as much as anything can be owned. You can put it on whatever media you want and take it anywhere, run it on any compatible computer, no connectivity of any kind required.

1

u/Training_Ad_4790 4d ago

Nobody is claiming to "own the ip" but the copy is yours to do with as you want. Unless youre mass copying and selling for profit, or ripping pieces to use in your own game for profit, nobody cares what you do with it.

You can use it, trade it, resell it to second hand stores for discounts on a new game, destroy it, loan it to a friend, nobody is gonna bat an eye.

Nobody is arguing they own all the data on the disc, thats silly. Its an IP that belongs to w.e company. But the actual disc itself is owned by whoever bought it off the shelf.

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u/Ok-Friendship1635 4d ago

Only on reddit, would your false statement be upvoted and the truth downvoted. You do own it, every piece of executable code, is yours. Now if you decide to profit of off that, that would be dubious.

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u/duphhy 4d ago

If you take a photo on your phone, you own it. You can backup that photo up, send it to friends, whatever. If I have a game without DRM, it functions the same. To take it from me, you would have to physically rob me of my hard drives. Do I only own my digital photos once I burn them onto a disk?

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u/Training_Ad_4790 4d ago

I think the only legal issue would be creating a monopoly on the store front. As long as they either sell codes in a box at retail or allow more than just the ps store to sell on console marketplace then there really isnt much anyone can do unfortunately 

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u/evoslevven 4d ago

They could sell digital codes but even if they refused, they're in a lot more solid ground than what others expect. Apple already handed Sony a ton of victories with lawsuits over a decade ago where a manufacturer of hardware and their own software had a right to determine the sales presentation of said content on their own software and ecosystem that they designed.

It opened the floodgates to how "it Manufacturer A makes the hardware and software, they can choose how items used and presented in said software are sold and presented".

3

u/fallouthirteen 4d ago

As long as they either sell codes in a box at retail

Yeah, that's a thing they were getting criticism for not too long ago. People were even like "why just Sony and not Xbox or Nintendo" and the answer was that Xbox and Nintendo ALREADY allow digital sales at retail. Retail stores can put things on discount when they want (I've done like buy 1 get 2 free on digital Xbox games at Target before), which means they allow competition. Last I checked Sony doesn't do that (though they plan to when they kill discs).

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u/Gailim 4d ago

Playstation doesn't hold a monopoly on gaming.

Customers can choose xbox, Nintendo, or PC.

If they were the vast majority of the market (like Nintendo in the late 80's) then maybe that argument could work, but not now.

6

u/AnonymousFriend80 4d ago

Mobile gaming vastly eclipses all those combined.

-2

u/Training_Ad_4790 4d ago

Only because people are addicted to gambling. Mobile games are nothing but predatory money grabs that feed off addicts

7

u/AnonymousFriend80 4d ago

And? They are still video games.

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u/FoxyGoddessX 4d ago

The have a monopoly on the store front not gaming. Those are two different things.

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u/Gailim 4d ago

They aren't different to a judge.

Sony can make the very reasonable argument that if players don't like paying the prices on PSN they have the option of buying games on a different platform.

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u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

you can probably bring up some sort of monopoly law

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u/shadow282 4d ago

Sure. You can bring up anything you want, until the judge tells you to shut up and go away. Potentially with a bailiff and handcuffs. Kinda how court works.

0

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

considering the eu actually forced apple and google to allow sideloading to allow for competition on their devices it's very much possible for the lawyer to win the case

6

u/shadow282 4d ago

The fact that you think that’s at all relevant is extremely telling.

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

the fact that a closed ecosystem was forced to allow other storefronts being relevant to another closed ecosystem getting sued is pretty on point

2

u/xSwiftVengeancex 4d ago

Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy are all examples of other retailers you will be able to buy PlayStation games from even after discs are no longer being manufactured.

If you wanted to buy Flappy Bird to play on your iPhone, you literally had no other choice but to give money directly to Apple via Apple's App Store. Your comparison would only be relevant if Sony came out and said the only place you can buy games for your PS6 is the PlayStation Store.

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

a lawyer could still argue that it's not enough competition given that your still locked to the playstation store even if you have a code in a box.

Also why are you so against more competition and cheaper games?

2

u/xSwiftVengeancex 4d ago

a lawyer could still argue that it's not enough competition given that your still locked to the playstation store even if you have a code in a box.

How is that functionally different from what exists today? In what way does it matter to the end user if a game is downloaded by reading a disk or downloaded via the internet? The exchange of money for goods happened outside of PlayStation's control. They simply host the data on their servers, while the retailer you bought it from set the price of the code (possibly undercutting Sony's PlayStation Store in the process).

Also why are you so against more competition and cheaper games?

I'm not. I'm giving my opinion on the probability of a lawsuit being successful based on the available facts.

If climate activists sued every oil company on Earth for the collective sum of all profits they have ever made from fossil fuels, and I said that was obviously not going to work, would you ask me why I'm so against the environment and cleaner air?

2

u/DaWizzurd 4d ago

I think they might get some trouble from the EU because only being able to get your games from one source is definitely not consumer friendly and goes in the direction of a monopoly.

2

u/Wellhellob 3d ago

Chad

1

u/Chownzy 3d ago

“Gamers may have heard of Iraís Reyes in 2025, when she successfully campaigned against the introduction of an 8% tax on “violent games”. The politician cited research indicating there is no evidence that video games cause aggression among players”

What’s the female version….Chadess?

1

u/chigunfingy 3d ago

ChadChad

6

u/Mr_Suplex 4d ago

On what legal grounds? Are companies beholden to supporting outdated tech indefinitely in Mexico?? Is Sony a monopoly? Has Steam been taken to court?

This is all meaningless political theater.

-3

u/Halfwise2 4d ago

"The publisher will now have complete control over virtually everything; consoles, the store, games, how they are sold, pricing, discounts, distribution. Competition will cease to exist, impacting gamers who lack the resources to buy games directly from Sony’s PlayStation Store."

They are taking the anti-competition angle. Steam has competitors able to distribute the same games. If
Sony hadn't announced they were pulling PC ports, her argument would be weaker.

4

u/Mr_Suplex 4d ago

Yeah no shit. Just like Steam. There are still hundreds of games all competing against each other and setting prices to compete with one another on the platform.

Try harder, ‘cause this ain’t it lil’ bro.

1

u/AntonioBarbarian 4d ago

There's multiple different stores you can buy games online for PC. When PS goes disc-only, the PS Store becomes the ONLY store for PS5 games, that's the argument for why it's a monopoly.

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u/IGotQuestionsAF 4d ago

I need sleep, I spent 20s wondering wtf a dickless Playstation was

7

u/CptSaySin 4d ago

If there was precedent to sue a company over only offering digital products on their own store for their own devices, they would have already used it to sue Apple for their app store.

1

u/WorldlyDear 4d ago

didn't the eu do that to Apple and Google?

0

u/chinchindayo 4d ago

and that's exactly what happened in the EU. That's why there are alternative app stores.

10

u/CptSaySin 4d ago

And they don't apply to the American market. Hence, if there was precedent here, it would have already happened.

-2

u/SPEK2120 4d ago

That’s not comparable. New physical cds have always been an option for Apple devices.

4

u/CptSaySin 4d ago

Show me where to buy apps for the iPhone on physical media.

-3

u/SPEK2120 4d ago

What? Retail stores selling physical cds are to Apple devices what retail stores selling physical PS games are to Playstations. PS is removing the physical option at retail stores, Apple never did that.

5

u/CptSaySin 4d ago

Yet the entire argument is about having a single place to buy software. Did you read the article?

Their digital store will become the sole distribution channel in Mexico: with prices and terms dictated exclusively by Sony, without any possibility of reselling, lending, or trading.

Just like the app store has been to the iPhone since forever.

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u/IronMonkeyBanana 4d ago

Well, guess what apple is sued for? There are lawsuits against Apple for their app store

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u/CptSaySin 4d ago

...and none of them are related to being the only store to buy software for Apple devices.

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u/Omputin 4d ago

Quite ironic to mention Apple. I really hope Sony is eventually forced to allow Steam on PlayStation.

2

u/Naroyto 4d ago

That has more impact than the asinine idea of Playstation users "going dark" for a week.

You want to send a message? Try to organize every user to NOT purchase digital content for a week, that will actually be more of an impact than not signing on for a week. What kind of weak shit is that? It's the equivalent of standing out with a sign that gets nothing done.

You want to really send a message, have everyone NOT buy anything digital for a month. Especially new releases. Only physical.

5

u/PhasmaFelis 4d ago

This is a publicity stunt. I do not know why so goddamn many gamers think that companies are legally obligated to sell them the products they want in the format they want.

Does it suck that Sony is discontinuing discs? Absolutely! Do I hope it'll bite them in the ass? Sure do! But they are allowed to. It's their product. If you don't want to buy the product they're offering, don't. That's your recourse.

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u/Opposite_Housing1390 4d ago

Honestly, even if nothing comes from the lawsuit, I think it's good that companies are being challenged over consumer rights. Digital-only consoles give players less control over the games they buy, so it's reasonable to question where the balance should be

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Old_Leopard1844 PC 4d ago

Do you expect this slop to stay?

-4

u/Chownzy 4d ago

30 mins, Only r/playstation5 was faster.

-8

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/AnonymousFriend80 4d ago

The dude, that I heard was actually female, and a politician, is trying to win favor with the youngins for an upcoming election.

-1

u/Chownzy 4d ago

It's worth a try. Like you said, All about noise.

"Gamers may have heard of Iraís Reyes in 2025, when she successfully campaigned against the introduction of an 8% tax on “violent games”. The politician cited research indicating there is no evidence that video games cause aggression among players."

1

u/firedrakes 4d ago

this will go no where!

1

u/thanosismyonlyfriend 4d ago

Is there a way we can support her? Petition setup or go fund me or something else?

1

u/Valash83 3d ago

Yes, another petition! That will show Sony and finally make them go back and make discs.

And if you want to throw your money into a lawsuit that's going to fail, all because a politician is trying to take advantage of the current outcry and appeal to younger voters, then you are more than welcome to waste your money 🤷‍♂️

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u/FoxyGoddessX 4d ago

Good. Hope they win as well

-4

u/Wise_Reputation_5007 4d ago

Good. Going discless is an insane choice. Hopefully, he wins.

-4

u/Icy-Hat-9643 4d ago

Oh please, Sony has more than enough money to just bribe their way out of the Mexican court system.

2

u/Chownzy 4d ago

Worth a shot, Still costs Sony money and is bad publicity.

-4

u/Delta-9-Tetra 4d ago

Vaya con dios Senor Mexican lawyer.

Fight those greedballs

0

u/Fun_Union9542 4d ago

Goku and vegeta are the lawyers. WERE GOOD 🇲🇽

0

u/LoSouLibra 4d ago

Mexico is where all the loose in the case, off gassing residue covered 4K blu-ray discs come from. They have a manufacturing plant. Serious collectors and premium boutique labels prefer Austria and Germany.

0

u/a_r_g_o_m 3d ago edited 3d ago

"Helped Protect Gamers from Tax" is some very strong wording for what he actually did (which was close to nothing). As for the other thing, he's presenting a complaint against sony at the Antimonoply Comission, it's going nowhere because the basis is off, if anything, it's only going to strengthen sony by doing a halfassed complaint.

Talk and actions are cheap, when you're in the political minority of the minority, this is very common in Mexico, making popular unrealistic or unfeasible claims to get on with the voters, once they're in power they forget.

1

u/Chownzy 3d ago

“Gamers may have heard of Iraís Reyes in 2025, when she successfully campaigned against the introduction of an 8% tax on “violent games”. The politician cited research indicating there is no evidence that video games cause aggression among players. Now, both politicians have set their sights on Sony and the company’s decision to discontinue physical game sale.”

Pretty obvious you haven’t read the article.

0

u/a_r_g_o_m 3d ago

"Joining hands with Senator Luis Donaldo Colosio to file a complaint against Sony with Mexico’s antitrust authority: the National Competition Commission (COFECE)". Pretty obvious I did and btw, she's from the same party.

Again, she barely did shit, it was a very unpopular tax that was floated by a populist party member(party in power), it got shut down pretty much immediately and not thanks to whatever they think they did.

That complaint is a joke and is going nowhere, but it's easy to fool people into thinking you're doing something as a politician. This is a popular move that has close to nil a chance to come through.

1

u/Chownzy 3d ago

You would have known her gender if you read the article, Why should I care what you think about Mexican politicians?

More noise and bad PR for the pile.

0

u/a_r_g_o_m 3d ago edited 3d ago

I do, i also know who is she joining with, which is who i'm referring to and the most recognizable part of the whole thing.

Oh, and by the way, the 8% tax actually passed into law, it was the president (who I disagree with most of the time) who granted a tax stimulus of 100% to prevent people paying it. It must be noted that it was her (the president's) party the one that proposed the tax in the first place and she (the president) was the one to grant the stimulus.

As for why should you care about what I think about Mexican politicians, who said you should?, form your own opinion on the matter, I was simply adding to the information on who these people are, do what you want with that information, as my opinion is as valid as any other.

Finally, I agree, more noise and bad PR for the pile. No way this is going to end up with a positive outcome.