The games industry is still reeling from Sony‘s switch to a digital-only PlayStation future starting in January 2028, but after fierce backlash from fans and developers, Sony may now face opposition from politicians, too. In Mexico, two Movimiento Ciudadano legislators stated that the Japanese corporation may be crossing into monopoly territory with its planned move, following a broader wave of criticism around Sony’s abandonment of physical media and its growing control over PlayStation’s storefront economy.
According to Mexican website Ovaciones, Movimiento Ciudadano senator Luis Donaldo Colosio and federal deputy Iraís Reyes plan to file a complaint with Mexico’s antitrust authority against Sony Interactive Entertainment. They argue that Sony’s decision to eliminate physical PlayStation games entirely by January 2028 would leave the company as the sole sales channel for PlayStation software, allowing it to dictate prices and terms without meaningful competition.
The legislators also say the move would hurt Mexican retailers such as Liverpool, Sanborns, and GamePlanet, while wiping out resale, lending, and used-game collecting. In their view, the shift would also leave consumers with licenses rather than ownership, making access more dependent on Sony’s rules and infrastructure.
This complaint adds to a pre-existing dispute over Sony’s exclusive ability to set prices on its own PlayStation Store and its broader digital distribution practices, with prior lawsuits in the UK, the US, and the Netherlands alleging that Sony uses its platform power to inflate prices or restrict alternatives. Indeed, in an exclusive statement to Wccftech, the Dutch non-profit that brought a €400 million class action against Sony warned that the death of physical discs would hand Sony total price control on PlayStation games.
That’s why the physical-disc debate is far more than a mere nostalgia issue. Critics argue that removing discs does not just change how games are sold, but also concentrates pricing power, narrows consumer choice, and destroys the second-hand market that has historically kept physical media competitive.
If PlayStation becomes all-digital, Sony gains tighter control over distribution, sales, and platform economics. That is exactly why lawmakers and consumer advocates are framing the issue as a competition problem rather than a product-format preference.
The key question now is whether regulators see the same thing. If they do, Sony may have to defend not just the future of discs, but the competitive structure of PlayStation itself. However, European Union Commissioner for Consumer Protection Michael McGrath recently said that the EU won’t be able to stop Sony from ceasing to produce PlayStation discs.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief.
In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech’s gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews.
Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications.
His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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