A TikTok user by the handle Caterpcs has laid out his thoughts on the motive behind Sony’s controversial decision to axe physical discs from its gaming catalog. And his theory on what Sony plans to unleash once they’ve fully converted to digital is as persuasive as it is terrifying.
His prediction comes in response to a comment he received on one of his videos from TikTok user echop1ayz, who defended Sony’s recent activities by saying, “It doesn’t matter anyway, 90% of video game sales are digital. Who cares if they get rid of physical discs?”
Responding with another video (posted above), Carterpcs challenged easyp1ayz’s rather simplistic reading of the situation. Pointing out that Sony’s discontinuation of physical media just coincides with a massive spike in video game costs, Carterpc laid out his prediction that Sony will deliberately raise the price of video games on the PlayStation Store, which will soon become the only place you can buy PlayStation games.
From here, Carterpc theorizes that once games become too expensive for the average gamer, Sony will encourage players to sign up for a PlayStation Plus subscription by allowing them to rent the games for a lower price. And from there, Caterpcs predicts Sony will gouge subscribers for all they’re worth, locking select games and performance features behind higher-tier subscriptions.
As apocalyptic as Carterpc’s predictions may seem to some observers, they align disturbingly well with some of the red flags Sony has been raising lately. From almost-mockingly reminding users they’re going to execute discs in 2028 to rolling out its own unique PlayStation Store-exclusive bitcoin, Sony is chasing its dream of a diskless tomorrow at full speed without its foot on the brake.
To say Sony’s crusade against discs has been controversial is like calling the Titanic a minor naval accident. Within days of the decision, gamers rallied against Sony, making and filing petitions to keep discs alive and calling out the company for changing its tune on physical copies. Even major industry figures like Hideo Kojima and the studio behind God of War have stepped up to express their disappointment with Sony’s cynical profit-chasing.
At the moment, it’s impossible to tell if Sony will ultimately go through with killing discs. While the company is currently staying the course, the pressure it’s getting from gamers, consumer-protection groups, and even politicians to change its mind is ballooning by the day. Even company insiders seem to realize that they’ve marched into a PR hurricane and are walking away before they have to run.
In the end, only time will tell whether Carterpcs’s prophecy comes true or ends up in the box of dodged dystopian futures. Based on what’s happening, most people are hoping for the latter.
