Look, I can understand why people are mad at PlayStation following the announcement that it would soon adopt an all-digital future. As much as we might hate to admit it, it's the reality most consumers have invested in, so it's no surprise it's happening – PlayStation is just one of the first to fully embrace it. Still, the idea that physical media is dying is a tough pill to swallow, and with PlayStation now at the center of that change in gaming, it's both natural and justified to be upset about the brand. But in no world at all does that excuse take out our frustrations on indie developers if they choose not to or simply can't provide us with a physical copy of their game.
I understand that. At this point, we're frantically trying to figure out ways to preserve physical game media, and if that means shouting from the rooftops when an indie developer launches a new game on console without a physical copy, then apparently that's what we're going to do. But if we can and if we should are two very different things, not to mention the fact that it likely won't make much of a difference, other than tarnishing an indie developer's reputation when they really don't deserve it. Still, that apparently hasn't stopped some people from harassing the developer of the upcoming Kingdom Hearts meets Jak and Daxter game Duskfade and its decision to launch on PC and consoles digitally for now.
Indie developers don't deserve your hate for PlayStation
There are a couple of reasons why this has me so upset at the moment, but I won't lie that my initial frustration was fueled by the fact that I recently tried the demo for Duskfade and was impressed by its quality. While the demo isn't entirely indicative of the full game, it was still enough to make me salivate at the prospect of playing it when it launches in August. Weird Beluga Studio has something incredibly special here that I think fans will love Kingdom Hearts, Jak and Daxterand classic 3D platformers in general will really love, and I just hate to see the studio dragged through the mud of PlayStation just because they decide on a digital release before looking into the possibility of selling boxed copies.
Place the brackets in the correct order.
Start
Unfortunately, that's exactly what has happened, to the point where the developer had to come out and assure everyone that it would love to sell physical copies of Duskfade when its digital launch has had a chance to prove it's worth the investment. In a recent post on DuskfadeWeird Beluga's official X account said, “Hey everyone, we love physical games too! We'd love to make boxed editions of Duskfade a reality, but as a smaller indie team we need to see how our digital launch goes first to see if it's feasible for us,” and personally, I see nothing wrong with that approach. It makes sense to them, and it honestly makes sense to indie developers at large.
This post was of course in a thread where Weird Beluga announced it Duskfade could now be pre-ordered on the PlayStation 5, which previously would likely have received plenty of praise from fans looking forward to playing the game. Instead, it's filled with responses about PlayStation's decision to embrace an all-digital future, with statements like “No disc, no buy” and plenty of expletives aimed at Sony. Of course, not all responses to the post are expressly directed at Duskfade and Weird Beluga, but that still poses a problem for the upcoming action-adventure game.
Hate has a way of multiplying, especially when ignorance is involved, and it can seriously damage a game's reputation, as well as the developer's reputation. When someone without any awareness or regard for an indie developer's limited budget sees someone else reacting negatively to their decision to launch on PlayStation without a physical copy, their immediate response may be to jump on board the hate bandwagon and mindlessly repeat what they've heard because it makes them feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. After all, we want to be inclusive, and for some reason hate is generally more inclusive than love on the internet.
Hate has a way of multiplying, especially when ignorance is involved, and it can seriously damage a game's reputation, as well as the developer's reputation.
From there, the boycott begins, and it may even spread to the game's other platforms that haven't even embraced PlayStation's philosophy yet. Needless to say, it's unfair to indie game developers who pursue a multi-platform release for the exposure it offers, and yet hit a wall due to the controversial decisions of a platform holder, not the developer. I agree that AAA developers can and should continue to give out physical copies of their games until they can't, for one reason or another, but to suggest that indie developers can't launch their games on PS5 just because PlayStation will eventually stop producing physical media is just crazy if I ever heard one.
Indie developers like Weird Beluga are simply doing what it takes to get their games to as many people as possible, and as long as the PS5 remains a console where they can do that, even without a physical copy, they should be allowed to do so without everyone's current hatred of the PlayStation getting in the way. The best outcome would be for us all to do our due diligence and actually think before we speak, or at least do the research to have an informed opinion, but I know I'm asking too much there too. The internet is just out of control these days, especially on social media platforms like X, and it's impossible to get every single person on there to just shut their mouths and think for a second.
PlayStation will officially end production of physical game discs for all new releases from now on January 2028.
But can we all just decide to leave indie developers like Weird Beluga alone, even if they choose to bring their game to a PlayStation console? Trust me when I say that Duskfade is one of the most promising indie titles I've seen in quite some time, and if you're not convinced by the reviews alone, at least head over to Steam and check out the demo. I really don't want to see this game get cracked due to PlayStation's physical game controversy, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Chances are Weird Beluga isn't the only indie developer currently under fire for PlayStation's decision, and that makes me sick. Let's change that, shall we?
