Sony discontinued movie and TV show purchases through the PlayStation Store last year, but had said users would still be able to access purchased content.
PlayStation users in Germany and Austria only have the summer to enjoy films such as Paddington and John Wick, as Sony is removing hundreds of movies from user libraries next month.
Sony said that from 31 August, users will no longer be able to access previously purchased movies and TV shows from Studio Canal. The company said this is due to “evolving license agreements”, according to legal notices posted on two regional sites.
It is unclear if the decision to remove access to previously purchased movies and TV shows will end up affecting users in other countries.
The decision comes after Sony discontinued movie and TV show purchases and rentals through the PlayStation Store last year.
The company said at the time that this decision was made due to a shift in customer behaviour, as there was “tremendous growth from PlayStation fans using subscription-based and ad-based entertainment streaming services”.
It added that users would still be able to access the movies and TV shows they had already purchased through the store, for on-demand playback on their PS4, PS5 and mobile devices.
It is not clear if customers will be refunded for any purchased movies that they can no longer access. A Sony representative declined to provide any details on refunds to Variety.
Variety reported that the change will remove 314 titles in Germany and 137 in Austria. The titles to be removed include American Gods, Chicken Run, La La Land, Apocalypse Now, Blair Witch, all of the Hunger Games films and The Pianist.
In March, Sony announced upcoming changes to its PlayStation subscription offer, which will create new subscription tiers and will combine PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now options into a single service.
The game company is also seeking to reach out beyond its current PlayStation audience, as it recently announced new monitors and headsets that have a focus on PC gamers.
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