PlayStation has a pretty bold strategy for dealing with the backlash over ending disc production: ol'an puts their fingers in their ears and says, 'na na na na na.'
After six days of radio silence, it was finally posted to X with… a Flexstrike Wireless Fight Stick ad. 66,000 comments versus 11,000 likes tells you everything: it was a bloodbath. And that outrage quickly spilled over to their first-party studios, with Insomniac catching flak in the comments of their posts. Even retweets aren't exempt, as a Doom trailer was bombarded with hate just because PlayStation shared it.
Still, undeterred, PlayStation continues to publish. Yesterday, it shared a Mortal Shell 2 trailer, which was hit with a community note. “Important Consumer Rights Information: Sony is currently attempting to establish a digital monopoly by eliminating physical media and, as a result, free competition in the distribution of PS video games, and providing users with non-transferable, revocable licenses instead.”
Soon after, it posted a trailer for the Apex Legends x Cyberpunk 2077 crossover event, which was met with 11,000 angry comments. A few hours later, PlayStation shared a trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online season one, which was once again flooded with over 14,000 comments – all lamenting the decision to stop making physical game discs.
PlayStation won't reverse course, but it's still worth pursuing
PlayStation will not reverse course. Analysts have explained that Sony would have expected this reaction, and that the strategy is to “wait for this storm to pass.” We're watching it unfold in real time, as the console giant continues to post on social media as if nothing has happened. And unfortunately, the PS Plus online boycott is a drop in the ocean compared to PlayStation's user base of over 120 million. Even if 500,000 were to cancel their subscriptions, that's only one percent of the business.
That's not to say it's hopeless. PlayStation's entire strategy hinges on people giving up and moving on to the next upset, which it no doubt expected would happen with the looming Xbox layoffs — after all, it released the news right up front. It hasn't happened. The posts continue, and thousands upon thousands of comments continue to pour in. Sony has already started repurposing its old facilities and retraining staff, so again, don't expect a complete turnaround, but gamers don't have to willingly enter a digital monopoly.
Sony is already facing a $450 million lawsuit from Dutch non-profit SMC over its decision to end production of physical game discs. Meanwhile, tech giants such as Apple are facing scrutiny in the EU for anti-competitive practices and similar closed ecosystems, with fines of $500 million for violating the Digital Markets Act. A legal precedent is already being set, and with grassroots movements like Stop Killing Games undaunted in their mission to fight for digital ownership and preservation, the conversation is changing. What should gamers fight for if a digital future is inevitable – to keep physical alive or to secure digital ownership? Whatever the response may be, the pressure isn't letting up, and PlayStation's plan to ignore the backlash is clearly not working.
