The Case for Physical Media Ownership as Digital Libraries Shrink

A digital “purchase” in an online store is, in most cases, a revocable licence rather than a file the buyer controls. A survey of documented cases published at dervis.de traces how that distinction has played out over the past decade: films, games and albums withdrawn from customer accounts after licensing deals expired, storefronts closed, or rights holders changed plans.

Licences instead of ownership

In 2013 Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would require 24-hour online check-ins and would block sales of used games; the backlash was strong enough that the company reversed every restriction before launch. In 2018 a US appeals court ruled that ReDigi could not resell “used” iTunes tracks under the first-sale doctrine — digital resale is not treated like physical resale. Amazon has faced lawsuits over Prime Video's “Buy” button, with plaintiffs arguing they had bought revocable licences rather than copies they owned.

A disc, cartridge or printed book can be kept, lent, resold, archived and used offline, without an account login or a new set of terms. Digital licences are normally locked to one account.

Removals are routine

In 2023 Disney took a $1.5 billion impairment charge after pulling more than 50 titles from Disney+ and Hulu, and dozens of originals left the service between 2023 and 2025. Warner Bros. Discovery removed 87 titles from HBO Max in 2022 and 2023; Netflix has withdrawn more than 250 titles marketed as Originals.

Purchases have followed the same path. In 2023 Sony planned to delete 1,318 seasons of bought Discovery content from PlayStation libraries, then reversed the decision after criticism. Konami pulled the P.T. demo in 2015 and later blocked reinstalls even for users who had downloaded it. Rockstar removed the original PC versions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas in 2021, Spec Ops: The Line disappeared in January 2024, and Forza Horizon 4 was delisted in December 2024.

When storefronts close

Microsoft shut its ebook store in 2019 and issued refunds. Google Play Music closed in December 2020. Nintendo ended new purchases on the 3DS and Wii U eShop in March 2023, leaving around 1,000 digital-only games unbuyable, and the Xbox 360 Store closed in July 2024. Google Stadia, Ultraviolet and Funimation also shut down; digital copies bundled with Funimation Blu-rays did not carry over to Crunchyroll.

Sony has said new PlayStation games will be digital-only from January 2028, with PS3 stores closing in selected markets from 2026 and PS3 and PS Vita stores closing globally in July 2027. Without discs, buyers lose used sales, lending, trade-ins and clearance-bin competition.

What a physical copy keeps

In 2022 vinyl outsold CDs in the United States for the first time since 1987, and a sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sold for $1.56 million in 2021. Box sets, liner notes and printed inserts document context that a streaming queue does not, while national libraries and film archives still preserve works on physical media. Ownership is clearest when the copy stays under the buyer's control.