The catastrophic reaction from gamers to PlayStation’s decision to end disc-based games in 2028 has been well-covered, but it’s eventually going to reach a boiling point.
That time may be rapidly approaching, as coverage of the blowback has reached mainstream media like NBC News, but it’s also caught the eye of politicians like a French presidential candidate and even several consumer protection agencies across the world.
A player petition launched in the wake of Sony’s casual reveal of its destruction of physical games media has reached over 300,000 signatures, which continues to show the displeasure voiced by gamers. And so, organizations everywhere are stepping in with their takes, too, like the UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association, or ERA.
“Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment,” said ERA CEO Kim Bayley. “Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry.” She acknowledged Sony’s main point that “digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular,” but “it should complement physical formats, not replace them.”
In Europe, Dutch consumer organization Stichting Massaschade & Consument chair Lucia Melcherts echoed the sentiment, saying to WCCFtech that “the end of physical discs removes the last place where a PlayStation game could still be bought and sold at a competitive price.”
“No discs means no second-hand market and no alternative to the PlayStation Store, so from 2028, Sony alone decides what a game costs and even how long you are allowed to use it,” Melcherts said.
Mexican lawmakers are aiming to file a complaint with the country’s national antitrust commission, so they, too, joined in on the public lashing yesterday.
“If discs disappear, anyone who owns a PlayStation will no longer be able to choose where to buy their games and will be forced to purchase them exclusively through Sony’s store,” federal representative Iraís Reyes said, in a report picked up by Spanish-language news site LevelUp.
“Consumers would stop truly owning their video games,” Mexican senator Luis Donaldo Colasio concurred. “With digital distribution, you’re no longer buying a game in the traditional sense—you’re purchasing a license, which means access to the content depends entirely on the conditions established by the company.”
Everyone sees what Sony is doing, plain as day—but can anything be done about it? The hope is that this pressure mounting from public officials will hopefully make some kind of dent, or at the very least, force Sony to acknowledge the utter mess it’s caused over the past two weeks.
