Sony is Pulling PlayStation Now Cards from UK Retailers

According to Venture Beat, Sony is asking UK retailers to return PlayStation Now retail cards by Jan. 19.

This sudden choice isn’t unusual in the world of retail, as products like this change based off shifts in focus or by altering displays, but many take this as a sign of the previously rumored Game Pass competitor. With the release said to be in the Spring, this seems like an easy first step before slowly announcing and rolling it out.

However, in response to the article, a representative for PlayStation issued the following statement to Venture Beat:

Globally, we are moving from PlayStation Now gift cards to focus on our current cash denomination PlayStation gift cards, which can be redeemed for PlayStation Now.

PlayStation Representative

At first glance this might seem like an obvious choice, given Sony previously removed PlayStation game cards in the past, but Twitter user Shaunmcilroy noticed an interesting patent registered in Mark Cerny, PlayStation 4 and 5 lead system architect, name.

While it’s possible these things are unrelated or might lead to something in the future, it certainly suggests there might be more to this than meets the eye.