The shift from physical media to digital libraries and streaming has been a major one for the entertainment industry, whether you're talking about games, movies, or music. Thanks to the convenience of digital media, the era of physical media is ending, or at the very least, becoming a niche market for collectors. However, it's worth remembering that a digital purchase and accessing a digital library are very different things from a shelf full of discs. It's license-based, and it can disappear at any moment.
Case in point: Sony has just informed PlayStation users in Europe that, from September 1, 2026, all previously purchased Studio Canal movies and series will be removed and no longer accessible. It's a long list of titles, including classics like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Highlander, From Dusk Till Dawn, Apocalypse Now, and more.
Basically, Sony's content licensing agreement with Studio Canal is ending, and users who purchased these movies or shows will no longer be able to access them. Sony's communication doesn't mention refunds or any form of compensation either.
In a way, it's a reminder that digital libraries can have a shorter lifespan than physical media, and buying something online, even on Steam, grants you a temporary license that can be revoked at any time. Granted, Steam doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon, but if Valve's platform were to go offline, so too would your Steam library.
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This also applies to the recent pre-order push for Grand Theft Auto 6, which is set to be the biggest game launch of 2026 or any year. And really, the fact that digital copies of the game are limited to the online platforms and services where they're available is one of the key reasons people want to see a physical release of the game, with all single-player data stored on disc. Like with Steam, digital copies of GTA 6 are probably safe for the foreseeable future, but it's still a licensing agreement as opposed to actual ownership.
