Jean-Luc Mélenchon posted on X on July 2 to name GTA 6 and Sony directly in a pitch for game ownership protections under French law. The prompt was two things arriving together: Grand Theft Auto VI launching in November without a disc, and Sony confirming it will end PlayStation game disc production in January 2028. Mélenchon is a longtime left-wing figure running for the French presidency in 2027. His post circulated widely and was picked up by Destructoid, The Gamer, Push Square, Windows Central, and GTA BOOM.
His argument is straightforward. Buying a digital game, or a boxed copy that holds only a download code, does not mean you own the game. It means you hold a license that publishers or platform operators can revoke, expire, or restrict without your input. No right to resell. No right to lend. No guarantee the product will still function in a decade. Mélenchon wrote: 'Tomorrow, you will pay without ever owning anything.' He wants to extend France's legal framework for cultural goods to video games, placing them in the same category as films, books, and music, which carry specific consumer protections. He said he would bring legislation if he reaches office.
Neither Rockstar nor Sony addressed the remarks publicly. The debate about digital ownership and what a game license actually guarantees has been building for years across Europe, and GTA 6 keeps landing at the center of it because the scale is impossible to ignore. Tens of millions of copies will sell, almost all digital licenses, and the question of what happens to those licenses over time is one the industry tends not to answer.