Sony has confirmed that retailers such as GameStop and Amazon will not be selling its game codes past April 1.
Several news outlets reported as much over the weekend after game deals guru Wario64 tweeted a photo of a leaked memo sent to GameStop stating that individuals will only be able to make purchases directly from the PlayStation Store as of next month. Gamers waiting on pre-ordered games were also encouraged to reserve physical copies instead.
Sony has since confirmed this, with a spokesperson telling The Verge that the decision was made in order to have key businesses align globally.
“We can confirm that as of April 1, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment will no longer offer full games through SIE’s Global Digital at Retail program,” Sony says. “This decision was made in order to continue to align key businesses globally. To support full games and premium editions, SIE will introduce increased denominations at select retailers. DLC, add-ons, virtual currency, and season passes will still be available.”
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This does come as bad news to some PlayStation owners but, fortunately, PSN cards will continue being sold via retailers, as well as digital add-on content. The problem with that, though, is that game prices hardly match the amounts on such cards but Sony will be offering revised prices to gamers who want to continue taking the credit route through retailers.
It is not yet clear how exactly it's going to work but the electronic giants will look to make things easier for persons looking to buy games digitally as options will be added to cover full amounts plus tax.
As far as GameStop is concerned, this should be pretty bad and it comes during a trying period. The company announced a new CEO earlier this month, after failing in its attempts to find a buyer for the business, while stock has been in sharp decline.
With gamers moving to disc-less purchases as of late, stores maintaining their relationship with Sony would have been best but the latter has opted to keep things in-home on that particular front and it can't be good for business.