Four California residents have sued Sony Interactive Entertainment over how the PlayStation Store markets digital games, alleging the company uses ownership-focused language that obscures the fact that purchases convey only limited licenses.
According to the complaint filed June 18, 2026 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the PlayStation Store displays buttons labeled “Buy Now” and “Confirm Purchase” during checkout. However, above the confirmation button, Sony includes a brief disclosure referencing the Software Product License Agreement, stating that the purchase amounts to a limited license subject to that agreement. The complaint alleges this disclosure appears in comparatively small text that is not visually highlighted, falling short of California’s requirement for clear and conspicuous disclosure.
The four named plaintiffs—Andrew Garcia, Edward Heycock, Jason Mendoza, and John Salinas—each spent hundreds of dollars on digital games, including titles like NBA 2K26, Resident Evil Requiem, and God of War Sons of Sparta. Each plaintiff states he was unaware the games were only revocable licenses and that belief in ownership led him to pay more than he otherwise would have.
The actual license granted is limited, non-exclusive, and revocable. According to Sony’s Software Product License Agreement, the software is “licensed to you, not sold.” Buyers cannot rent, sublicense, copy, reverse engineer, or transfer games, and access depends on the continued availability of the PlayStation platform.
The complaint brings three counts: violations of California’s digital-goods transparency law (AB 2426), California’s False Advertising Law, and the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act. The proposed class covers California residents who purchased digital games through the PlayStation Store and saw representations such as “Buy,” “Buy Now,” or “Confirm Purchase.”
On August 21, 2026, Sony moved to compel individual arbitration under the PlayStation Terms of Service and alternatively to dismiss the complaint. Under a heading “Reasonable Consumers Would Not Be Misled,” Sony argued it is not plausible that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining ownership. Sony noted that Section 14 of the PlayStation Terms of Service contains a binding arbitration agreement and class action waiver, though consumers have a 30-day opt-out window. None of the named plaintiffs opted out.
A hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2026 before Judge Vince Chhabria. According to reporting by KitGuru, 85% of game sales in Sony’s quarter ending March 31, 2026 were digital, with Sony announcing in July 2026 that it would end physical disc production for new PlayStation games starting January 2028.
Key facts
- Four California PlayStation buyers sued Sony on June 18, 2026, alleging the PlayStation Store uses ownership language like ‘Buy Now’ while disclosing only a limited, revocable license in small text.
- The complaint alleges Sony’s disclosure of the license terms violates California’s digital-goods transparency law (AB 2426), False Advertising Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act.
- Each plaintiff spent hundreds of dollars on digital games and states he was unaware purchases conveyed only a license, not ownership.
- Sony’s Software Product License Agreement states software is ‘licensed to you, not sold’ and buyers cannot transfer, sublicense, or permanently own games.
- Sony moved to compel arbitration under its Terms of Service, which contains a binding arbitration agreement and class action waiver with a 30-day opt-out period; no plaintiffs opted out.
- Sony argues reasonable consumers would not believe they own digital games, noting that multiple players can each purchase the same game and that the license depends on platform availability.
- A hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2026 before Judge Vince Chhabria.