UK PlayStation Store to Remove 551 Purchased StudioCanal Titles on September 1
This removal shows that even after a platform promises continued access to purchased digital content, licensing agreements can override that promise, making ownership of digital movies effectively temporary.
Key Facts
- 551 StudioCanal video titles will be removed from UK PlayStation Store users' libraries on September 1, 2026, even if purchased.
- PlayStation notified affected customers by email but did not include an apology, according to Eurogamer.
- The affected titles include 'Terminator 2,' 'Total Recall,' 'Evil Dead,' and 'The Deer Hunter.'
- The removal follows a similar 2023 removal of over 1,300 Discovery digital items in the US.
- PlayStation ended its video content sales and rental service in August 2021 but had assured customers that purchased content would remain accessible.
Reporting from 3 sources: GIGAZINE, GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
The UK PlayStation Store will remove 551 StudioCanal video titles from users' libraries on September 1, 2026, due to a change in licensing agreements. Even content that customers purchased will become unviewable. The affected titles include popular films such as "Terminator 2," "Total Recall," "Evil Dead," and "The Deer Hunter." PlayStation notified users via email, stating that "previously purchased StudioCanal content will no longer be viewable" and that the content will be removed from video libraries. The notification did not include an apology, according to Eurogamer. PlayStation's UK website published the full list of affected titles. The move follows a similar removal of Discovery content in the US in 2023, when over 1,300 digital items became unavailable. PlayStation ended its video content sales and rental service in August 2021, but had assured customers that purchased content would remain accessible. The current removal has drawn criticism on social media, with users questioning the value of digital purchases and calling for refunds.
PlayStation notified affected customers by email, but the message did not include an apology, according to Eurogamer. The email reads: "As of September 1, 2026, due to changes in content licensing agreements, previously purchased StudioCanal content will no longer be viewable. The relevant content will be removed from your video library."
The removal was first reported on June 25 by X user somatyk, who posted a screenshot of the PlayStation notification. Somatyk wrote: "Sony's operating profit for fiscal year 2025 is $7.535 billion (about 1.45 trillion yen), but they seem happy to betray customers when given the opportunity." Pop culture outlet Culture Crave amplified the story on its X account on June 27.
In March 2021, when PlayStation announced it would end video content sales and rentals, Vanessa Lee, head of video business at Sony Interactive Entertainment, cited the rise of subscription streaming services like Netflix and ad-based services like Spotify as factors. Lee also emphasized that previously purchased content would remain accessible.
Kotaku reported that the removal "once again highlights the fact that digital content is not actually purchased but merely rented temporarily." As of June 27, 2026, the Japanese PlayStation official website still displayed a notice from August 2024 about content such as "Stand By Me Doraemon" being removed from libraries.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.