TL;DR: Former Santa Monica Studio writer Alanah Pearce says Sony issued what insiders call its “strictest ever” social media rules to first-party developers-essentially a gag order-aimed at preventing criticism of its 2028 PlayStation disc phase-out amid rising consumer backlash.
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Sony has allegedly imposed what insiders are calling its “strictest ever” social media guidelines on first-party developers to prevent them from adding to the ongoing criticism around the company’s decision to discontinue physical PlayStation discs in 2028.
The information comes from Alanah Pearce, a former Santa Monica Studio writer who worked on the upcoming God of War: Laufey, who revealed that PlayStation first-party studio employees were handed what is described as “the strictest social media guidelines for this particular thing that they’ve ever seen issued“. “Sony knew this was going to be an enormous PR issue,” Pearce said in a recent YouTube video. “They only do this when they’re expecting a firestorm.“
Sony reportedly issued effectively a social media gag order on first-party developers to curtail any criticism about the issue, and judging by what Pearce said, those guidelines can come as late as the day of the announcement. Pearce recounted one instance where Sony provided guidelines on what she could and could not say regarding the announcement of God of War: Laufey.
- Read more: No amount of backlash will change Sony’s mind on disc cancellation, says ex-Santa Monica dev
“People working at PlayStation first-party studios told me that Sony had the strictest social media guidelines for this particular thing that they’ve ever seen issued. Sony does somewhat regularly tell employees what they can or can’t say about certain things. I was under a lot of guidelines when I was working on God of War: Laufey. I still am, and they did send me guidelines regarding what I could say on the day that the game was announced,” said Pearce
The transition to digital-only is well underway, and one big example is Grand Theft Auto 6, which will arrive exclusively digitally in 2026. Physical copies of the game will come with a printed digital code. As for Sony’s announcement about discontinuing PlayStation game discs, the company’s social media accounts haven’t addressed the backlash erupting from the gaming community, despite almost every post having negative comments referring to the disc phase-out.
“In this instance, it is 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,” added Pearce
What specific social media restrictions did Sony reportedly place on first-party developers regarding the disc phase-out?
The article says Sony reportedly issued what insiders called its “strictest ever” social media guidelines for first-party developers, effectively a gag order to prevent them from adding to criticism of the disc phase-out. Those guidelines told employees what they could and could not say about the announcement and in some cases were handed out as late as the day of the announcement.
Answered
Question #2
Which first-party studio employees or former employees reported receiving these ‘strictest’ social media guidelines?
Alanah Pearce, a former Santa Monica Studio writer, reported that PlayStation first-party studio employees received the “strictest” social media guidelines. Pearce said people working at PlayStation first-party studios told her the guidelines were the strictest they had ever seen issued.
Answered
Question #3
Did Alanah Pearce describe when developers received the guidelines relative to the disc announcement?
Yes. Pearce said the guidelines can arrive as late as the day of an announcement, and she recounted receiving guidelines about what she could and could not say on the day God of War: Laufey was announced.
Answered
Question #4
How did Sony’s official PlayStation social accounts respond to the community backlash over discontinuing discs?
Sony’s official PlayStation social accounts have not addressed the backlash over discontinuing discs. Despite many posts attracting negative comments about the disc phase-out, the company’s social channels have remained silent.
Answered
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With the industry moving rapidly toward digital-first models, Sony’s strict response highlights the growing tension between consumer expectations and corporate strategy, as recent reports revealed that only seven games sold 100K or more physical copies in the US in the last 12 months. With stats like that, one can see why Sony wants to cut the ripcord on physical copies now, albeit it does not make it any easier for the end consumer who ends up losing the most.
