A PlayStation developer has offered an explanation for why Sony isn’t responding to the widespread complaints about going digital-only. It’s been a few weeks since Sony announced it will no longer be releasing physical PlayStation games after 2027, and the online backlash has refused to simmer down.
Angry comments continue to flood social media posts and YouTube uploads from official PlayStation channels, yet Sony has refused to acknowledge the backlash. According to someone with knowledge of the company’s workings, Sony fully expected people would get mad and is simply telling employees not to talk about it publicly.
Strict social media guidelines
This comes from a recent YouTube video by Alanah Pearce, a video game writer who worked at developer Santa Monica Studio and was involved with the upcoming God Of War Laufey – which will be one of Sony’s last exclusives to get a physical release. Pearce states that people employed at PlayStation’s studios have told her they are under ‘the strictest social media guidelines’.
Pearce says, ‘Sony does somewhat regularly tell employees what they can or can’t say about certain things,’ but the topic of Sony’s physical game plans appears to be off-limits within the company, no doubt to ensure it’s presenting a united front.
Backlash unlikely to change Sony’s mind
Pearce adds that while people should continue to express their frustration, she doubts any amount of backlash or petitions will force Sony’s hand: ‘Sony already knew everyone would be p***ed off – they knew this. … In this instance, it’s apparently the strictest the employees I spoke to have ever seen regarding public communications. They would only have done this if they knew it was going to be an enormous PR issue. This is no surprise to them.’
Some developers within Sony are likely upset with the decision, especially when others like Hideo Kojima and Yoko Taro have expressed disappointment. Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa suggested Sony may as well not bother making new consoles if it’s not releasing physical games. However, as Pearce says, Sony is extremely unlikely to backtrack. The company already has its primary disc manufacturer switching priorities, showing the move has been long planned. The most well-known online petition has 337,985 signatures at the time of writing, but that is not enough to change course when the vast majority of PlayStation game sales now come from digital sales.
