Sony Wins "Hall of Shame" Award for Killing Discs and Being All Around Awful

Sony received a 2026 Shonky Award from Choice, Australia’s consumer advocacy organization, and was placed in its Hall of Shame for the risks of buying digital media through PlayStation’s stores. Choice’s criticism follows several Sony decisions: more than 500 Studio Canal films were set to disappear from customers’ digital libraries after a licensing agreement ended, the PS3 and Vita storefronts were slated to close, and Sony announced that it would stop producing game discs from 2028. Together, these moves highlight how access to digital purchases can depend on Sony’s platforms and licensing agreements.

Choice argues that buyers are effectively paying for licenses, not permanent ownership, even though PlayStation Store checkout language repeatedly calls transactions “purchases” and could lead customers to expect lasting ownership. The distinction matters if Sony removes content, PlayStation Network becomes unavailable, or an account is suspended or compromised: customers may lose access to their libraries, with no discs to serve as a backup once physical production ends. Some PlayStation users point out that other digital platforms also sell licensed access, but Choice singles out Sony because the film removals and planned disc phaseout made the consequences especially immediate. Its central warning is that a digital-only future leaves consumers dependent on a company’s continued permission to access what they have paid for.