Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE has named Sony Interactive Entertainment a winner of its 2026 Shonky Awards. The group cited that the term "purchase" used when paying for digital games on the PlayStation Store fails to accurately reflect the rights consumers actually receive.
| 📒 | - Australia's CHOICE names Sony in 2026 'Shonky Awards' - Criticizes gap between PS Store 'purchase' phrasing and actual user licence terms - Highlights restrictions on transferability and loss of access upon account suspension |
The Shonky Awards are an annual dishonor presented by CHOICE to highlight products and services that are unfair or misleading to consumers. Six entities, including Sony, were named this year.
The key issue raised by CHOICE lies in the language used on the checkout screens. When users select a digital game on the PlayStation Store, the word "purchase" appears repeatedly throughout the buying process, ending with an "Order & Pay" button at the final checkout step. CHOICE pointed out that while this wording leads consumers to believe they own the game, they are actually receiving a conditional licence to use it. The organization criticized the fact that consumers must open a separate menu and read through lengthy terms and conditions just to learn this critical distinction.
In fact, Section 13.5 of Sony's Australian PlayStation Terms of Service explicitly states that paying for digital content grants users only a personal licence for private use, rather than ownership of the product itself. Except for exceptions provided under local law, this licence cannot be transferred to others. Furthermore, if the PlayStation Network account used for the purchase is deleted or suspended due to terms violations, users risk losing access even to digital games they have already paid for. Sony states in its terms that it points out the location of its licence conditions during the purchasing process, but CHOICE emphasized that consumers still cannot easily understand the limits of their rights right before clicking the payment button.
CHOICE also highlighted the changing console market environment, where digital distribution accounts for an increasingly larger share compared to physical discs. As accessing games through digital storefronts becomes the default, the organization explained that platform operators must disclose the difference between "ownership" and a "user licence" more transparently starting right from the payment stage.
