A reader believes Sony could still reverse its all-digital policy and bring back discs for the PS5 and PS6, if fans keep up the pressure.
Before writing, the reader checked whether people were still flooding the comments on PlayStation's YouTube and X channels with complaints about the no-disc policy. They were still at it. The reader says this has gone on for much longer than Sony imagined, with no end in sight.
Disc factory could switch back
The reader notes that Sony has apparently already changed its disc factory round to making something else. But they argue that because the change happened quickly, it can easily be changed back.
A couple of weeks ago, Sony was reportedly asking developers about their choice to kill off discs, which seemed odd so long after they said they had already made their decision. Then, this week, physical sales for Marvel's Wolverine, a game Sony must have worried was going to be a flop, turned out to be really good.
Physical sales send a message
Wolverine is exactly the sort of mainstream game you would expect to sell a lot of physical copies, although it is 18-rated, so something family friendly would probably have sold even more. The reader says this should give Sony a clear message that people still want discs and that they are upsetting fans and losing sales.
The only reason for the policy is to make more money, because Sony has to give a cut of sales to the shop with physical, but not digital, since they own the store. The reader also notes the decision came within days of the GTA 6 no-disc announcement, suggesting Sony had talked to Rockstar.
Boycott not needed
The reader argues that greedy corporations can be made to do what you want by making them lose money. A boycott is too much to ask, but if everyone is buying on disc and then they stop making discs, not everyone will convert instantly to digital – some people will not buy at all anymore.
This fear may have spooked Sony enough to ask developers what they think. If they had more games coming out, they would have more data showing how much people prefer discs. It is over 50% in some countries, which the reader thought would be impossible nowadays.
Why reversing would help Sony
The reader says another reason Sony should reverse its decision is that people would start to like them again. The comments would disappear from social media overnight, and people would stop dunking on everything Sony did. Most of the grousing about Wolverine seems to be due to general anger at Sony, rather than anything wrong with the game itself.
The reader suggests publishers do not respond much in these situations because they worry that giving in to one thing leads to endless demands. But this issue is too important. Games should be available physically if people want them, and Sony should give in and release them that way. The reader says we want to own the games we buy, and until that is true again Sony will know no peace.
