Backlash over Sony’s decision to abandon physical media for its game releases beginning in 2028 is growing, with a new petition already garnering nearly 250,000 signatures. Sony has been at the forefront of physical disc media support for decades, but has recently announced that it will change in the not-too-distant future. While it has since said that it would support smaller studios’ efforts to continue releasing their own older titles, details are scarce there since specs for the PlayStation 6 have yet to be revealed, so it’s not known if it’ll have an optical drive or if an external one will be made available. Sony’s own statement clearly indicated it will not be offering physical versions of its games, but has since (via Game File) added that it will offer a means for older third-party titles to continue to be printed. This is as some publishers claim they were blindsided by Sony’s original statement and had not been given any advance notice of the change coming in 2028.
Meanwhile, consumers are making their voices heard either by attempting to cancel their Sony PlayStation Plus subscriptions or by signing a new petition to save physical game releases. The Save Physical Games petition began right after Sony’s initial announcement was made and has since had almost a quarter of a million signatures given.
“The irony is hard to miss. At E3 2013, Sony won over a generation of players by promising that when you buy a PlayStation game, you can trade it in, sell it, lend it to a friend, or “keep it forever,” and famously mocked the competition for trying to restrict exactly that. Thirteen years later, Sony is the one taking it away.”
– Save Physical Games, Change.org
Maybe by pure coincidence, maybe not, it appears that some PlayStation Plus users attempting to cancel their service in protest have been given the opportunity to keep it with a major 50% off discount. The discount only lasts for three months, but is being offered at a peculiar time. One user posted their notification from Sony on Reddit (via VideoCardz).
The controversy surrounding Sony’s decision seems to be growing, and while it’s doubtful it will reverse course, it looks as if it will offer options for older titles, but it’s not only publishing partners who are feeling the hurt because consumers are also making their voices heard as well, and it is they ultimately who provide income to Sony.