Sony delivers official statement on 30 day DRM for PlayStation Store digital purchases

Newly-discovered DRM on the PlayStation Store has triggered controversy among Sony faithful, and now the company has finally issued a statement on the matter.

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After days of diligent research, gamers and media enthusiasts put together evidence of DRM on the PlayStation Store that could lock players out of a digital purchase if they stayed offline for too long. The reports grew, with indications that the license timer was a way to thwart fraudulent refunds.

Sony has now made a statement, confirming that online checks are required to access games...but these verifications only have to be made one time.

"Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual. A one-time online check is required to confirm the game's license, after which no further check-ins are required," a Sony rep told Gamespot and Game File.

It was critical that Sony try to step in and squash this kind of controversy as soon as possible. It was this level of outrage and pushback that effectively buried the Xbox One during the 8th console generation, and players weren't taking these new DRM reports lightly.

While digital poses strong advantages for players, including convenience and discounts, the medium also leads to stricter DRM that must evolve to protect billion-dollar video games.

It didn't help that the PlayStation 5's ROM keys were leaked earlier this year, leading to a fully-fledged version of Linux being installed onto the console.

Sony Corp's stock has fallen -7% in the last 5 days, and with the controversy having broken out over the weekend, it's possible that the DRM fiasco has materially affected Sony's share price in this period.