PlayStation has broken its silence on the drama surrounding DRM concerns with the PS4 and PS5.
Last week, reports began popping up online about a quiet but controversial new change being introduced to the PS4 and PS5. Players noticed that new game purchases had a 30-day clock that would require an online check-in in order to keep using them. Essentially, this would mean if you played your PS5 offline for over a month straight, your digital games may be rendered unplayable until you went online to “authenticate” its license. Naturally, this sent players into a frenzy. This was the exact kind of DRM that Sony roasted Xbox over back in 2013, ahead of the PS4 and Xbox One’s respective launches.
Fans have been left to speculate over what exactly this means for PlayStation, but were left without concrete confirmation. Thankfully, Sony has broken its silence on the matter. In a statement to GameSpot, PlayStation confirmed that there is a one-time check-in to confirm the license, but beyond that, players won’t experience any interruptions.
“Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual,” reads Sony’s statement. “A one-time online check is required to confirm the game’s license, after which no further check-ins are required.”
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem like this will cause too many headaches. Most players are already connected online, and when they purchase/download a digital game, they need to be connected to the internet anyway. It is believed that this check is partially done to prevent anyone from getting a refund for a game and then taking their system offline to continue using it without a valid license.
Back in 2013, Xbox announced a controversial and confusing DRM strategy for Xbox One that would’ve put massive restrictions on how people play and share their games. To combat this, PlayStation released a short, cheeky video explaining how players could share games on PS4.
The video showed PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida simply handing a copy of Killzone: Shadow Fall to Adam Boyes, showcasing how simple it was to give a game to a friend on PS4. Clips and images from that PSA were shared around this past week to poke fun at Sony prior to the company’s clarifying statement.
Shuhei Yoshida recently made headlines when he spoke publicly about his departure from PlayStation, saying then-CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan “fired” Yoshida over disagreements over “some ridiculous things.”
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
