Your PlayStation 6 Games Already Have An Expiration Date

Of course, there is also the matter of next-gen consoles reportedly exiling disc drives, with PlayStation coming forth as a pioneer in the death of physical media, stating that disc production will cease by January 28. Even if you’re somebody who’s already made the transition to a fully digital gaming catalog and accepted whatever risks come from that, it’s not difficult to see how a wholesale loss of physical media could affect ownership or preservation, and the PS6 might as well launch with an expiration date printed on it.

Per GAMINGbible, anyone who indulges in a PS6, whenever it launches, is beholden to the whims of an industry and digital marketplace that they will have no control over, and their options in terms of how much consumer choice they have will theoretically be limited to the PlayStation Store. This is especially daunting when considering that, on the same day the death date of discs and physical releases was announced, so too was it announced that the digital storefronts for the PS3 and PS Vita are being shuttered.

This is only as harrowing as it is because it is becoming increasingly clear that we’ll have less and less ‘ownership’ of our games and media moving forward in a digital landscape. Indeed, there’ll be nothing preventing PlayStation from deciding to end support for PS6’s own storefront, regardless of whether that cessation were to occur 15 years from now or 30.

The fact of the matter is that there will come a day, like there has now for the PS3 and PS Vita, where fans may no longer be able to locate or ‘purchase’ their PS6 games, only it is much worse for PS6, as there won’t be any previous physical PS6 discs (and no disc drive for the PS6, presumably) to fall back on.

It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that things have spiraled downward rapidly since Grand Theft Auto 6’s preorders went live and official Standard and Ultimate edition prices were revealed, and PlayStation seems to be bandwagoning on GTA 6 not having a physical release at launch. One can only hope that the response from users is loud and significant enough to have PlayStation and Xbox overturn this decision before the PlayStation 6 and Xbox’s Project Helix become exclusively digital storefronts that can be whisked away without a moment’s notice.