Since the launch of the PS4, Sony has been the flag bearer of pro-consumer policies. The console maker has been evidently clear with its marketing message prior to the console’s launch back in 2013. Meanwhile, Microsoft has often been lashed out at on the internet for originally embracing an anti-game sharing/anti-resale model for the Xbox One prior to its launch. Eventually, the software giant altered these plans and reverted back to the traditional console retail game model.

It appears that Bethesda is on the verge of setting Microsoft’s original plans in motion and setting a new trend in the console space with its forthcoming release of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited on the PS4 and Xbox One. Both versions of the game will require a CD key, much like the CD keys that come with retail copies of all PC titles.

This, in turn, implies that you will not be able to sell your copy of the game, or buy a used one for that matter, as the game’s license will transfer to and tie-in with your PSN or Xbox Live account. Users have expressed concern regarding the matter on the game’s official forums, as a result of which a developer entered the discussion and confirmed that users will indeed need CD key to play the MMO.

To clarify, you will need a unique game registration code in order to play the game, and used copies will not be eligible to receive a key if the code has already been redeemed. It works the same way as the PC version in that the code included in the box is to activate your ESOTU account and the discs are for installation purposes. If you own the disc but don’t have a key, you’ll be able to install the game and reach the login screen, but you won’t be able to log in and access the game without an active ESOTU account.

Interestingly, this initiative is also similar to how Microsoft planned on handling game licenses, which would be transferred to a user’s Xbox Live account once the game has been loaded up. The adoption of this PC-like retail game model clearly goes against the kind of consumer freedom Sony has been boasting about since before the PS4’s launch. It’s an interesting inconsistency in the console maker’s marketing message, one that ought to raise several alarms.

For those who have forgotten, here’s a reminder.

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Could this be a hint at things to come? Will other big publishers, such as Activision and EA, also adopt this model and kill the buying and selling of used game software? Only time will tell. In the meanwhile, let us know what you think in the comments below.