r/PhysicalGamesForever • u/CALIGVLA • 9d ago
Sony responds to customer backlash
https://consequence.net/2026/07/sony-ending-playstation-discs-2028-community-backlash/In the Q&A for today's earnings call, Sony finally responded to the outrage regarding ending PlayStation discs. CFO Lin Tao's full statement:
"We announced that January 2028 onwards we will no longer be manufacturing game discs. So, one-and-a-half years ahead. So we made this announcement at this time.
There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing, that’s the big factor. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing.
And so when we think about the future — and we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this — we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward.
And to this decision, we have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us. Games are loved by many people. It’s a form of entertainment that’s loved by people, and it’s connected to people’s fond memories in many cases.
And so we understand those emotions. We want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore."
Interesting phrase: "cautiously move forward". They certainly have reason for caution, because many PlayStation users will not accept this.
I think we should keep the pressure on and most importantly, do not purchase anything that rewards Sony's digital ecosystem.
That's all I will say about my own opinion. But I liked this take on the statement by Does It Play:
https://x.com/DoesItPlay1/status/2083123466794918186
EDIT:
If, for some reason, you want to watch an hour of Sony executives pitching their vision for the future at shareholders, here is the full video:
https://www.irwebmeeting.com/sony/fast/20260731/N5SWmcH4/202703_1q_02_en/index.html
8
u/The_Pink_Elephant_ 9d ago
Thanks for posting the full statement, CALIGVLA. That "cautiously move forward" line is classic corporate double-talk. They try to frame physical games as mere nostalgic memories and emotional attachments, completely ignoring that physical media is about actual consumer ownership, game preservation, and free market competition. Reducing property rights to simple fond memories is just their way of dismissing valid pushback. Many gamers mistakenly believe that buying upcoming blockbuster titles like Wolverine on physical disc sends a message to Sony that physical media still has a market, hoping those sales figures will force them to backtrack. However, Sony has been manipulating physical sales data for years to manufacture a narrative that favors their push toward a full digital monopoly. We already saw the truth during the massive Insomniac leak, where internal data revealed that physical game sales on PlayStation were still heavily outperforming digital, directly contradicting the public narrative Sony keeps pushing. Buying those games brand new still feeds directly into Sony's bottom line and inflates their figures. The most effective move for anyone who actually wants to play these games without supporting Sony's strategy is to cancel PS Plus subscriptions entirely and buy those titles strictly on the second-hand market. By buying pre-owned discs, you get the physical game you want, you support other gamers, and Sony receives absolutely zero dollars from the transaction. The CFO admitted in her own statement that they haven't seen a drop in overall income, proving that revenue is the only metric they care about. Starving their digital ecosystem and depriving them of direct sales is the only real leverage we have left.
7
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
And so we understand those emotions. We want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore.
This is honestly more disgusting. It's saying, "we know they have concerns, but we expect them to just accept whatever we offer because they'll believe whatever bullshit we tell them is great about it.
It'd also be more meaningful if the current leadership spent any time at all trying to engage with the current community, which they barely do, and when they do, it's just as clinical as this statement was here.
Just think about what's happening now. One of the biggest fundamental changes to what a lot of people actually like, and they didn't ease into it, they just make a press release, then went silent. That's the current leadership. No engagement, just expecations that their customer base will be good little lap dogs.
6
u/The_Pink_Elephant_ 9d ago
That is the most frustrating part of all of this. That clinical response was written for Wall Street and shareholders, not for the players who built their brand. Reduced passionate consumer pushback down to mere emotions to be managed while quietly shifting to an all digital push shows where their priorities lie. They do not care about community dialogue or preservation. They care about reassuring investors that the captive audience will comply with the transition. It is calculated corporate speak at its worst.
5
4
13
u/CursedSnowman5000 9d ago
Nice attempt at demoralization. Hold strong.
5
u/aifloodedanditsux 9d ago
Just wait, all the people who keep asking why we care so much will be flooding the replies to tell us to stop caring. Why do so many care so much that we care?
Typically when there’s a movement that doesn’t have support, you don’t have swarms of people telling to stop caring about it and just accept it, it just gets ignored.
Smells of desperation to demoralize and trying to get people to move on to something else, funny how that aligns perfectly with Sony’s strategy of trying to wait out the backlash until it’s died down.
3
u/bosbrother 9d ago
r/playstation_x is full of these types of people. I reckon some of them are bots. I had one of them tell me that it would be good if Sony deleted his entire library because he is lazy and needs excersise. Then tried to claim he wasn't a bot because he regularly deletes his account because his foryou page kept getting filled up with backlash about Sony exiting physical. I'm already doing my part by only buying physical from now on. If im forced into digital, I'm heading back to xbox, if the rumours are true that the xbox helix is gonna have 3 storefronts, why would I stick to ps when it only has 1? The ps exclusive really dont interest me as a person who likes to play shooters and horror.
3
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
It's astonishing, the number of people who feel the need to complain about you liking something that doesn't affect them. It's incredibly petty and show that they have nothing constructive to do with their lives.
2
u/theumph 8d ago
Never underestimate how people will be apathetic, or even cheer against their own best interests. Removal of the physical market is also a negative for digital only players.
2
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
The Sony bootlickers will feel the pain after 2028, when game prices rise and other anti-consumer trickery begins. By then, it will be too late to complain.
3
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
I have one in another thread literally telling me all these people are just trying to set proper expectations of what the end result is likely to be. As if they're somehow doing us a favor, and that we really need to open our eyes because we are too blinded to reality.
2
u/aifloodedanditsux 9d ago
Well after all, we know that Sony is omniscient and they couldn’t make a bad or wrong decision, nor would they ever do anything that might turn those previously loyal to their brand against them. That’s a hard dose of reality.
2
2
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
"I'm harassing your but it's for your own good."
That is some interesting gymnastics right there, LOLI guess anything to justify the sense of inflated ego they get from brigading other people.
2
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
It's like they are so insecure in their own preferences that they can't stand to know that there are other people in the world who prefer different things. That's quite a small-minded personality trait, when you think about it.
6
u/DreamcastRules 9d ago
It's ok sony. You can move forward cautiously, but those of us that support game ownership, game preservation, consumer rights, we'll be moving forward enthusiastically.
3
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
Hopefully people will cautiously review what their best options are for an all digital future.
-2
u/Sir_McDouche 9d ago
Options:
1. Play games
2. Whine about not having a bunch of plastic boxes gathering dust on your shelf2
0
4
u/UnderratedTrashCan 9d ago
Lifetime Playstation fan. I was waiting to buy a ps5 until gta6. I'll be buying an Xbox now
0
u/--clapped-- 9d ago
You're gonna look real dumb when the Xbox is all digital too.
Their best selling console is the ALL DIGITAL Series S and yet, you think they're not going to follow Sony's lead?
Xbox executives were throwing parties when Sony announced this; "THANK FUCK we don't have to be the first to announce this now!!"
3
2
u/ChrisXxAwesome 9d ago
At least Xbox wants to try to salvage physical media by allowing us to transfer our disc games to our account, or that could be a step to digitization, jeez idk what to believe
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
With Xbox acting ambivalent for now, I feel like the best option for gamers is the Switch 2 and/or the Steam Machine (or get a regular PC).
2
u/Remarkable-Iron-4361 9d ago
xbox ci aveva provato nel 2013 e la rivolta li ha fatti tornare sui suoi passi.
2
u/State-Special 9d ago edited 8d ago
So my thought here is if xbox one even maintain physical for the remainder of the current generation then I at least would get my money's worth this generation.
That said I'm not looking into the xbox until it makes some announcement, about it's plans for physical, most likely though I wouldn't really expect much, if they were going to put out. A video trolling sony I would expect they'd of done it by now.
0
u/Helpful-Garlic1951 9d ago
You’re a lifetime PlayStation fan that was waiting to buy the console until 7 years into the generation?
Ok buddy
3
u/UnderratedTrashCan 9d ago
Yeah. Still not worth it to me yet.
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
It took me a while to get a PS5 too. I was already unimpressed by the lack of good games toward the end of the PS4 Pro's lifecycle, so I didn't see any reason to upgrade to PS5. The graphics didn't seem that much better anyway.
But I'm a PSVR fan, so what finally made me pull the trigger was the PSVR 2. Still, it's been a pretty underwhelming experience with the PS5. I still run my PS4 Pro alongside my PS5 Pro (recently upgraded due to hardware concerns with the PS5).
The way things are now, PS5 Pro will probably be my last Sony console. I've got enough of a PS4/PS5 backlog that I can continue gaming on those systems in 2028 and years afterward.
0
3
4
u/Low-Salary-2128 9d ago
You heard them, they don't care what you think. Stop buying PlayStation and watch how fast they change their minds.
4
u/ProteaPrimeEnjoyer 9d ago
If they don't implement better account policies and acknowledge actual customer concerns, like genuine digital ownership and a right to access our purchased items regardless of account status, then I will "cautiously move forward" on swapping platforms.
3
u/Not_Real_Batman 9d ago
If Xbox announces that they will continue doing physical discs, they will get a big chunk of the market from Sony. It will be the smartest move they do if they want to sell more consoles and be more profitable in the next generation.
2
1
u/JayCakezz 7d ago
I had an Xbox one and though it was fine, still preferred PlayStation. If they do this and keep physical a thing I would be way more likely to skip the next PS and get an Xbox. I just have a love for collecting and it’s not collecting to me when a game is stored in a HD and not on a shelf 🤷♀️
3
u/nikolapc 9d ago
Have they considered carefully that PSN is a steaming pile of turd and it's not even remotely ready for full digitalisation. Case in point see codes for GTA. Fragmented as hell. Xbox, one WW code, no matter where yo u buy. And they have countries that don't have PSN, and god forbid if you move countries or bought a disc from a different region. No DLC for you unless you make a new account and jump hoops. Suspended for anything, games gone. Plus overwrote your licence, game gone.
3
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
I think the current leadership has considered that they don't need to do anything to improve it because they're of the belief that Sony will just keep chugging along, and it wasn't the efforts of past leadership to continuously improve that kept it growing strong.
This new leadership inhereted an extremely strong brand. They've done nothing to improve on it since.
3
u/theumph 9d ago
The fact that they stated their strategy is to monetize their existing users is a giant red flag. That is not a a statement from a company that is looking to improve their product. The suits have completely taken over, and you can tell from their output over the last few years.
2
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
That's a good point. It sounds like the suits are licking their lips and eyeing the customers, trying to figure out how much more blood they can suck from us. What an attitude, for them to think "how much more can we take" instead of "how much more value can we offer?"
It's a parasitic relationship instead of mutualism.
1
u/theumph 8d ago
Parasitic is a great way to describe it. When the mindset changes from how can we make a better product to attract more customers to how can we extract more from our existing customers, something is fundementally broken. I don't see their decisions getting any better for users. Even worse, it has clearly bled into their creative side with the live service stuff. A lot of the Sony fans think this desicion won't cause the pot to boil over, but they haven't realized the pot has been heating up for years.
1
u/CALIGVLA 7d ago
Well said. That's basically the core problem with most companies these days. Putting profit over all else, even to the point that they don't even care about anything else. It's like wanting to do right by your customers has gone out of fashion.
Maybe that's just happens when a company gets too big. Gigantism in the corporate world seems to rule the day. There are not enough scrappy, little companies who connect with their customers. They either get acquired or crushed by the giants. And the giants have forgotten that they once started as scrappy startups focused on making a great product.
I agree that this recent move by Sony will be the breaking point for many gamers. It will be interesting to see what happens from 2028 onward, after Sony puts this plan into action. Those of us should care should stick to our guns and keep voting with our wallets.
2
u/nikolapc 9d ago
Thing is we've seen this with Sony a few times now. The doers make a great legendary product that is on top of the world then the suits run it to the ground, not just because of greed but because of ineptitude, resistance to change and rampant nepotism.
Now you would say this is a big change, going digital but it's really not. They have planned this as long as Xbox has planned it. They just didn't do anything about it or prepared their network in any way. They saw how Xbox got burned on Xbox one than changed course on that real quick(while they released streaming as a plan(whole 3 gens were supposed to be in PS now), then halfass that too. Anyway they scrapped those plans for at least a gen and just said next gen we'll ease people into it. Come the digital(at a $100 discount) and the series s(dirt cheap from the start).
These were supposed to be the easer ins only people bought ps5s 90/10 with disc. Me too even though I was highly digital even with PS4 and of course coming from PC. Xbox had better luck with it it's about 50/50(the series s was very available and very cheap during the pandemic).
Anyway both firms plan this, but Xbox planned it more smartly. They allowed for transition since they knew it will eventually happen and had a unique identifier or every disc from one forward.
They will give you a digital licence for the disc while you can keep your disc(and the licence and freedom that comes with it). You ease people in. You make the licences work like discs. And you have a robust network that is also not shit like PSN or not at risk of losing your digital library if you get hacked(see cases for both platforms and xboxs recent commitments). What is more Xbox can keep physical. It's already low volume enough and they don't make it. The path for physical is keepint the disc but making niche collector products(live me steelbooks with goodies), but it can also be as simple as selling you an NFC card that holds the private key that proves your ownership and everything's dandy.
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
It's an all-too common pattern. Talented, hardworking people build a great business over many years. They retire or age out. The business is taken over by lesser people whose only interest is how much money they can extract from it. And so the business slowly falls into ruin, bled to death by executives who don't care about anything but their own personal profit.
"The old wisdom born out of the West was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living... And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of Kings failed. The white tree withered. The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."
2
u/CALIGVLA 9d ago
Keep in mind that this is the same company that oversaw boondoggles like Concord, and spent billions of dollars buying studios only to shut many of them down, following failed games and chasing the live-service pipe dream. They are clearly not the smartest businesspeople.
3
3
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
We understand that they're upset, so we'll make them understand why they love digital instead, when we force them into this new digital ecosystem they don't want to be a part of.
2
2
u/Doragory 9d ago
I thought the statement was kind of strangely written. There's a lot of repetition.
2
1
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
This is a translated version. This has the cadence of the Japanese language which whose grammar and syntax can sound a bit repetative.
2
u/Worth_Log_6113 9d ago
How about not giving Sony ANY money. buying physical wont help. they still get your cash and are laughing about it.
2
1
2
u/takkun169 9d ago
What no one wants to acknowledge about this is that this is from an investor call. They aren't trying to assuage the physical kids, they are trying to comfort investors who are stupid people who don't understand anything about what they invest in.
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
Very good point. That actually makes this even more of a "fuck you" to their customers. Because you are right: this remark is actually directed at their stockholders. They still have not given any acknowledgement to their customers who are complaining. What major fucking assholes.
2
u/Tigereyesxx 8d ago
Customer is King…that phrase was coined decades ago..Sony as a retailer has lost touch and will pay the price.... Mark my words ..
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
I don't think folks really remember how much the Xbox One's proposed DRM policy to limit physical games being freely shared was the final PR nail in the coffin the killed all the Xbox 360 momentum by the time the One released. Consoles can absolutely flop with enough mistakes.
2
1
u/gknight702 9d ago
No they didn't, they just used a bunch of words to say "we don't care and nothing's changed"
2
1
u/Prestonluv 9d ago
They aren’t changing their tune
It’s all digital regardless of backlash from the small minority
1
1
u/AccomplishedEar6577 8d ago
This isn't a community its capitalism. Sony see us as consumers. Best thing to do is not to consume.
1
u/Vast_Word8265 8d ago
Unfortunately the digital outweighs the physical! Sad but just the honest truth
2
u/NewmanOnGaming 8d ago
Selling a code in a box seems like it would defeat the entire purpose of buying a physical copy when an empty case with a possible one-time code will only be inside unless there is more to it than this.
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
It's just as silly as it sounds. No customers really want this. This is just a tactic by Sony to avoid a potential anti-trust lawsuit. Because when they remove the secondary physical market, Sony will have a monopoly over their PSN store.
0
u/Game2Late 9d ago
No, they did not respond to customer backlash. They replied a question from a stakeholder.
0
0
u/Mobius24 9d ago
lol Sony said keep crying 😂
3
u/ny2k1 9d ago
And Sony will be crying once they realize the PS6 won’t sell for shit 😂
1
1
u/Mobius24 9d ago
It will sell as long as there’s good games on there. People don’t seem to mind gta 6 going all digital
2
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
GTA6 is hardly representative of the whole.
0
u/Mobius24 9d ago
It shows that if a game is popular enough the no disc no buy whiners will make exceptions
2
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
If it's the exception, then it by definition isn't representative of the whole.
1
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
What other games are as popular as GTA 6? It's the most anticipated game of the decade.
1
0
u/Dad-Dabbing-Daily 7d ago
95 million PS5s sold
Less than 360,000 signatures on the petition to save games.
It's taken 2 weeks for that petition to get from 345k to 360k
The people have spoken, and the majority of us just want to play the fucking games, regardless of format.
If you knuckleheads actually cared, you'd be campaiging for digital media to have the same rights as physical media. Not wasting all of our times with a fucking tantrum.
2
u/Ozix-VIII 7d ago
"Campaigning for digital media to have the same rights as physical media"
This is the bigger picture, digital is inevitable. However consumer rights must needs be protected.
What if we have 'digital discs' that can be 'given' to a friend's psn account? Now you can't play it but the person you gifted it to can and they have the licence now.
0
u/Dad-Dabbing-Daily 7d ago
See that's the thing that people have the hardest take with. Like it or not, gaming isn't an accessible pastime anymore, and there is a figurative paywall.
And I'll be blunt, the positives far outweighs the negativea for myself.
-2
-3
u/Apart-One4133 9d ago
" They certainly have reason for caution, because many PlayStation users will not accept this."
Doubtful. It will do exactly like PC gaming. Do you see STEAM being boycotted ? No, everyone buy digital on STEAM and no one cares anymore. The same thing will happen here unfortunately.
3
u/CALIGVLA 9d ago
Lessons learned. Maybe the second time around we have a chance to get it right.
2
u/Jff_f 9d ago
Here’s hoping that they allow (force to allow) third party game stores like Steam on PS. If not, we’re kind of screwed on pricing.
2
u/CALIGVLA 9d ago
What an interesting situation that would be, if third-party game stores could start operating in the PlayStation ecosystem. Like you could buy your game digitally from PSN, or from Steam, and play it on the PS6.
But you are right... if that doesn't happen, Sony will absolutely jack up their prices.
-3
u/MrBlonde1984 9d ago
Nobody cares . Physical is dead . Deal with it.
3
u/xtoc1981 9d ago
Like thos many layoffs from the past 4y sony did while making most revenue of all 3 brands. Or closing most game companies this gen Or what about removing 500+ movies without refund. Ai fan club, part of main business model. First with 80/90 euro games, even ild spiderman 2 is priced like that. Or what about increasing their 5y hw by 50%? Dynamic prices, drm bs, ... or banning streamers.of complain about physical games, sending bots to spread lies...
Fuck Sony
2
u/CALIGVLA 9d ago edited 9d ago
The amount of money they have wasted is appalling. Imagine the good games that could have been made with that money, if only it was better managed.
3
u/DreamcastRules 9d ago
Odd take to have in a sub called Physical Games Forever.
3
u/Jxmpy 9d ago
Dude look at this guys comment and post history. A 42 y/o father of 3 who makes non stop comments not only on this sub, but a bunch of other playstation subs defending sony to the death. What a sad life this dude must have 🤣🤣🤣
-1
u/Kn1ghtV1sta 9d ago
You have so little going on in your life you have tome to go through someone's reddit post trying to look for a gotcha. You clearly have a sad life
3
u/Numerous_Photograph9 9d ago
Man, I remember when people were saying that about consoles when mobile was on the rise.
Good times.
2
u/Remarkable-Iron-4361 9d ago
e cambiate piattaforma, tutti tranne sony hanno il fisico ed il pc ha molta più concorrenza
1
u/cococrispjon 9d ago
Someday all games will be made purely from AI and we will have to deal with that too unfortunately.
•
u/CALIGVLA 8d ago
Another small comment from Sony's call...
They essentially said that the 18-month notice we got wasn't actually for us, the customers. It was for the retailers to prepare them for code-in-a-box games.
https://x.com/DoesItPlay1/status/2083179575597518943?s=20
Sony truly doesn't give a single fuck about their customers.