TL;DR: Sony plans to end physical PlayStation game discs by January 2028, shifting to digital-only sales, sparking gamer backlash and a petition with over 200,000 signatures. Concerned users are canceling PlayStation Network subscriptions, prompting Sony to offer discounts of up to 50% to retain customers.
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A petition calling on Sony to reconsider its decision to end physical disc production of PlayStation games in January 2028 has reached 200,000 signatures, indicating a substantial number of PlayStation gamers urging Sony not to end production of physical PlayStation games
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For those who don’t know, Sony announced it would end production of physical PlayStation games in January 2028, and any games released after that time will be sold with a download code rather than a disc. Sony cited digital sales outpacing physical sales of its games as the reason for ending physical media production, but that reasoning isn’t sitting well with many gamers, who are rightfully concerned about what an exclusively digital gaming landscape would look like
Many PlayStation gamers have raised concerns about how an entirely digital gaming landscape takes away ownership from gamers, as at any moment the controlling platform can delist a game and effectively revoke access to the potentially thousands of people who bought it, versus having a physical copy of the game and being able to just put the disc in your console
- Read more: PlayStation disc phaseout petition hits 120,000 signatures in just four days
Given that Sony has announced the death of PlayStation discs, many industry professionals, including myself, are inclined to believe the PlayStation 6 standard edition will launch without a disc drive, as it wouldn’t make sense logistically for Sony to release its next console with a disc drive and then, mid-cycle, decide you can no longer purchase PS6 discs
For these reasons, and others, some PlayStation owners are cancelling their PSN subscription, which is reportedly causing Sony to offer a 50% discount on another three months. Other users that have cancelled have also said they’ve been offered anywhere between 25% and 50% discounts, typically in the denominations of 25%, 33%, or 50%
Question #1
Do other players report different discount denominations or promotional options when cancelling multiple accounts?
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To voice their concern, 200,000 signatures have appeared on the Don’t Kill the Disc petition, which was created by Canadian retail platform PnP Games. Only two days ago, the petition signature count was at 120,000; now, at the time of writing, it has hit 212,000. To view the petition yourself, and to drop a signature, check it out here
