Brazil Is Taking On Digital Games Ownership and Preservation After Sony Says No More Discs 1
Image: Push Square

It appears that Brazil is concerning itself with matters relating to consumer rights when it comes to digital games.

Federal deputy Jandira Feghali recently proposed a new bill, directly inspired by the Stop Killing Games movement, that aims to prevent online games from ceasing to exist when official support comes to an end.

The bill stipulates that publishers must clearly inform customers about a game's reliance on online servers at the point of sale. Furthermore, they must also outline the minimum support period, which cannot be less than two years from a game's launch in Brazil.

It also says publishers must inform consumers about any termination of service no less than 180 days in advance, notifying players in the game itself, on official social channels, and through other means.

The bill suggests three options for what happens after an online game is shut down; the company can release an update to allow for offline play, provide tools to the community to keep it going themselves, or reimburse players proportionally, based on how much time they spent with the game.

Failure to comply with these regulations would incur fines.

There's a bit more to it, but it shares a lot in common with the aforementioned Stop Killing Games initiative, which has been campaigning for much the same thing in Europe.

The bill still needs to make it through several layers of legislative process, so it's far from becoming law, but it's interesting to see this cropping up in global politics, especially in light of Sony's decision to discontinue the production of game discs in 2028.

Speaking of which, federal deputy Erika Hilton has requested an investigation into Sony Interactive Entertainment and its plan for a purely digital landscape.

In the document, she argues that it will restrict certain rights associated with physical game ownership, such as reselling, lending to friends, and preservation.

She also says the move does not consider areas of the world, including parts of Brazil, that are currently not equipped with high-speed Internet access, and that rely on physical stores and the second-hand market to purchase games.

Hilton suggests Sony's plans may contravene several articles within Brazil's Consumer Protection Code, and asks that this be investigated by Senacon, the country's governmental consumer rights group.

It's still early days on all this, and things generally move pretty slowly in politics, but it'll be interesting to see whether this amounts to anything.

PlayStation is currently in everyone's bad books, with any social posts dogpiled by angry fans protesting the eradication of physical games.

[source tecmundo.com.br, via tecmundo.com.br, tecmundo.com.br, x.com]