EU won't force Sony to keep discs, but Brazil files a bill to keep games playable

The regulators have started answering, and they don't agree with each other. Michael McGrath, the EU commissioner responsible for consumer protection, told reporters at the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Brussels will not block Sony's disc phase-out: 'Companies are free to offer games and services in the manner that they see fit, provided that consumer rights are fully protected in line with national and EU law' (first reported by the Irish Mirror, picked up by Kotaku and GamesRadar on July 10). That echoes the Commission's June reply to the Stop Killing Games initiative and its 1.29 million signatures: no legal obligation to keep games playable, only talks with the industry about a voluntary code of conduct and clearer disclosure at the point of sale.

Brazil is moving in the opposite direction. On July 9 federal deputy Jandira Feghali filed Bill 3612/2026, directly inspired by Stop Killing Games. It would require publishers to disclose at purchase whether a game depends on online servers, guarantee a minimum support window, give at least 180 days' notice before switching servers off, and then either ship an offline update, hand players community tools, or refund them proportionally, with fines for non-compliance. The bill landed days after deputy Erika Hilton asked the consumer watchdog Senacon to investigate Sony's disc plans. It still faces committees, votes in both chambers and a presidential signature, so this is the start of a long road.

GTA 6 sits in the middle of all of it: the game launches November 19 with a code in the box instead of a disc, and GTA Online lives entirely on Rockstar's servers, which is exactly the scenario Feghali's bill regulates. Meanwhile the 'Don't Kill the Disc' petition has passed 250,000 signatures and Sony has yet to respond.