PlayStation enraged fans: They announced for the first time after a very controversial decision about games

Six days of silence interrupted by a commercial

On July 1, 2026, Sony announced that as of January 2028, it will stop producing physical Blu-ray discs for all new PlayStation games. This decision triggered an avalanche of negative comments and calls to abandon such a plan, with gamers expressing concern about losing ownership of games and destroying the market for used titles. While gamers expressed their displeasure on the Internet, PlayStation completely withdrew and kept quiet. Six days later, on the seventh of July, they finally published a new post on social networks. But instead of a statement or clarification, they were greeted by an advertisement for a new wireless controller called FlexStrike. The reaction was immediate and predictably negative. In just an hour, the post collected more than 4.5 million views, and comments were flooded with accusations that the company is deliberately and arrogantly ignoring its users.

“How do I download this?”

Outraged fans flooded the post with comments, memes and criticisms at the expense of Sony’s move, and many took the opportunity to once again express their position on the importance of physical media.

​- Sony is completely ignoring the massive backlash over the removal of physical media and ownership – one fan wrote. – Don’t let them get away with it. Express your displeasure under every post they make until they change direction.

​- There’s no way THIS is the first tweet PlayStation has posted in six days, another added.

​- I don’t understand. Is this a physical product? How do I download it? – joked the third user, alluding to the digital future that the company is imposing.

The resistance of the game is not abating

The fans’ outcry was not limited to the comments. An online petition “Don’t Kill the Disc” was launched on Change.org, which quickly gathered more than 170,000 signatures. Many gamers proudly posted photos of their physical game collections on social media, while others announced that they would never buy another PlayStation console. The fear of losing ownership has become the main topic of discussion, since digital purchases represent only a license to use, issued byč can withdraw at any time. The issue of long-term preservation of video games as a cultural heritage also causes additional concern. Things went one step further, because Sony is facing a $450 million lawsuit in the Netherlands due to this move. The lawsuit alleges that an all-digital market destroys the secondary market for used games and gives Sony complete control over prices, harming consumers.

A wider context and a diskless future

Despiteč Due to the many criticisms of the game, Sony is not giving up on its decision for now. The company defends itself with the argument that consumer habits are changing and that the demand for digital games “significantly exceeds” that for physical discs. According to the data of Ampere Analysis, in 2025, almost 80 percent of all purchased games on Sony consoles were in digital form. For comparison, when the PlayStation 4 came out in 2013, that share was only 13 percent. The decision is also financially motivated because digital sales bring significantly higher profits, given that the costs of production, distribution and trade marks are eliminated. This is confirmed by the increase in the price of Sony shares after the announcement. This move by PlayStation is considered a watershed moment that could accelerate the transition of the entire industry towards a fully digital future. It is almost certain that the next generation of the console, the PlayStation 6, will not come standard with discs, which could reduce its price. This is supported by the čfact that Rockstar Games is the majorityć announced that the upcoming hit Grand Theft Auto VI in its physical edition will not have a disc to play, but game download code only.