The European Union will not be able to stop the decline of physical games. Companies are completely free under the law to offer their games exclusively digitally.
Sony is pulling the plug on physical media. From January 2028, the company will no longer produce discs for the PlayStation 5. Only titles released by the end of 2027 will be allowed to be reprinted. After that, store shelves will be bare. Welcome to the brave new digital world.
EU Commissioner Michael McGrath in concrete In Strasbourg, the court ruled that this falls under the commercial and contractual freedom of corporations. As long as consumer rights are protected within the framework of existing laws, politicians will not intervene. This is a bitter blow for collectors and advocates of physical media.
The bitter pill for us gamers is obvious: we are being deprived of our "ownership." Digital licenses can be revoked at any time, and the used game market will collapse completely. Anyone hoping for bargains will henceforth be at the mercy of the PlayStation Store's price guidelines. The fact that the EU only recently...Stop Killing GamesThe fact that the initiative was rejected fits the pattern. This is not what consumer protection looks like.
The protest fizzles out without effect.
The community is furious. A petition against the disc ban has garnered almost 286.000 signatures. Fans are threatening to cancel their PlayStation Plus subscriptions. But the numbers speak for themselves. Market analyst Dr. Serkan Toto offers no hope of a change of heart. nullifiedSony has over 120 million active users, around 50 million of whom pay for PS Plus. Even if half a million players cancel their subscriptions in protest, Sony will only lose one percent of this business segment. No one in the executive suite cares. The digital market is simply too lucrative. Sony is weathering the storm with remarkable composure.
The battle lines are drawn, and the romance is over. No more disc collections on the shelf, no more swapping with friends. Sony's radical move starting in 2028 is a done deal, and politicians are standing idly by. While the community's resistance is vocal, it remains, purely mathematically speaking, insignificant background noise for the multi-billion-dollar corporation. We are left, like it or not, with no choice but to accept a purely digital future.
They are not allowed to, they are supposed to. From the beginning, I tried to make it clear to everyone that this is what the decision-makers want.
It's truly worrying how short-sighted some people are here. Even if you're only using digital games, you still benefit from the disc offerings. What do you think will happen to the PS Store when the price competition from retailers and the used market disappears?
And for some reason, people who try to fight against the looming monopoly are ridiculed because they don't do it the way people think is right?
But the main thing is to defend the anti-consumer decision of the multi-billion dollar corporation, without considering what the consequences will be.
Although Sony has continuously increased its revenue in recent years, after several price increases for the Playstation, it is now trying to reach even deeper into customers' pockets in order to present shareholders with attractive figures despite the many failed investments.
But why should Sony focus on consumer friendliness when so many players, to their own detriment, justify this arrogant behavior?
Nobody cares about protests... stop paying that lousy club... it's that simple.
I don't believe it's a minority.
Sony can only be punished by users if just 20 percent cancel their subscriptions and sell their consoles; then it will hurt Sony.
PlayStation Plus subscribers already get a discount on their subscriptions. But everyone has their own pricing these days anyway.
Fuck Sony
As if we could have relied on the EU. I'd better not write anything more about it except:
Licenses are like contract SMS messages – they'll eventually disappear…
Marco, are dotted lines and disks always useful? 🙈
Peter Braum: Certainly, with good care, they will last 20 years or more, up to 100.
Then I can still burn it and it starts all over again. And yes, I also think that the PS5, or rather the network, will be shut down in 20 years, like the PS3. Then a jailbreak will be applied, and as long as the console works, the cycle continues. Then you won't even be able to access the PSN on the PS3 anymore because security features etc. will be gone.
Furthermore, I can lend or sell items I bought incorrectly to minimize my loss.
What does a disc release take away from you or make worse for you?
Marco Gepunkt points out that there's hardly anything on disc that remains playable for years to come due to patches, etc. If something is "shut down," the disc simply doesn't offer you as much compared to "licenses." These arguments are simply flawed. I can at least understand the arguments for collectors and those buying and selling discs. But beyond that, it's purely about the medium. By the way, I think the PS3 shop is only gone for new purchases; games are still playable, regardless of whether they're on disc or digital. We're not in the 90s anymore, where games were exclusively released on physical media. And with purely digital platforms, rules for competition are also developing, including more opportunities for older games, as seen on PC.
Marco Gepunkt may be correct for CDs and DVDs, but definitely not for Blu-rays and 4Ks.
A small minority, they won't care.
Whoever analyzes this might be a shareholder or have a PlayStation logo on their end... It's up to the customers; we can decide. It's always about money, so don't buy the digital garbage. If enough people do, that's more than enough. Just consider that discs and digital versions are usually the same price, and the industry saves a lot of money by not passing it on. Often, the disc is even cheaper. If retail stores disappear because empty boxes don't sell (which makes sense), then we'll quickly be in a situation where, due to monopoly, a standard game costs well over €100 digitally. And so on. Buying every piece of junk separately, etc.
As if Sony or any other company outside the EU cares what they say. Laughable. Sony does what they want again, good for them. I'll just buy games when they're on sale, no problem. And then there's what those idiots are doing with GTA. As if the game were sold out online. Just as laughable. So, pfff.
As if anyone seriously believes that more than the aforementioned "5 measly signatures" would generate more than 5 players who would skip the upcoming Playstation.
...and even if it turns out to be five million, Sony is laughing its head off at this hypothesis.
You only start to believe the existing double standards when you've read about them yourself here in the comments section; this GTAVI farce is the lesser evil in that respect, the much greater one for me is...
That people have insisted for years on grabbing their discs at rock-bottom prices, never buying on day one as a matter of principle, and then complain that not enough new, fantastic gaming experiences are being created (which the PlayStation has undoubtedly delivered). With whose money? They contributed significantly to this situation, and the logical consequence is now the abolition of the disc – simple business and causality.
Fortunately, they represent the minority who are now spreading their gaslighting and lies, claiming the numbers are inaccurate 🙃
You can't tell anyone this crap.
That's how it is: wanting everything cheap and then complaining about the consequences. I support a good game at full price and don't speculate on bargain prices. A similar example... buying the cheapest meat/sausage in the supermarket and then wondering about the animal welfare standards... Pathetic!
There are always multiple positions I can take and perspectives from which I can view situations; these people are simply incapable of finding the middle ground, of self-reflection, and of examining their own impact.
If this whole Facebook debate has impressively demonstrated one thing to me, it's where the real problem lies, and I think it's only fitting that Sony didn't give them a platform in that regard.
This ongoing contribution through my own actions, in line with my great astonishment at the reaction, if I had not learned to radically distance myself from it in my private life, I would be vomiting endlessly about this morality.
Double standards are all the rage these days, so don't act so surprised. As we often read, not everyone understands the implications of this decision and can't foresee the consequences until their license is revoked and the consumer realizes they have absolutely no rights. Sony, on the other hand, isn't doing anything wrong according to their own perspective, and the decision is legitimate – even with their own figures that are supposed to support it. Meanwhile, the minority questions everything, citing figures from physical sales, including those from 2023, and defending them as gospel.
Regarding the issue of bargain prices, yes, I completely agree with you, BUT – and many overlook the following question – is a game worth 80-100 euros today if you're served a half-finished product that only becomes playable after months of patches?
If Sony fully exploits its dominant position in the digital sector, as a customer you can only say OK, I'll let myself be "gagged," or I'll say goodbye, and I think many will do the same and pull the plug, switching back to PCs.
Absolutely right.
I don't entirely approve of the "Sony approach" being taken in our area of favorite hobby. My primary concern is with the points mentioned above and the loud and narrow-minded way these issues are being addressed on social media; it's about so much more than just a symptom of business management and the resulting inevitable causality.
I, too, will be paying close attention in the future and will only consider whether I will continue with PlayStation AFTER I have received official communication from Sony regarding their FUTURE approach from 2028 onwards. At the moment, there's nothing that speaks against it for me personally; on the contrary, I'm very satisfied. However, I also hope and expect that Sony will establish corresponding adjustments to their guidelines regarding the use, acquisition, and sustainability of digital goods by 2028 at the latest.
Whether someone should be prepared to invest up to €100 in their preferred game is not something I presume to judge; I'm speaking solely for myself. I, too, have questioned my own day-one purchases, then jumped in later and caught up. The fact is, if I'm not willing to financially support my hobby in this economy, I shouldn't be surprised, let alone complain loudly, when current development costs lead to long-term stagnation or a lull.
I completely agree with you. There's still some time until 2028, and I personally hope that Sony will make some changes to the guidelines (although I'm very skeptical). Xbox is also involved, and they are already making some progress towards user-friendliness and the used game market/licensing. We'll see how it develops and, above all, how Sony handles this announced dominant position.
Nothing more to add 🤝
Protests and a measly petition with five signatures won't achieve anything. Sony needs to be actively boycotted; only that will hurt them. No one should be allowed to buy games or consoles anymore; that's the only way to achieve anything. But most gamers buy everything anyway and have neither honor nor guts.
Jan Wolfrum is wrong. Most gamers simply don't care about the whining of the small, vocal minority 🤷🏻♂️
Jan Wolfrum bought a game at Media Markt as a form of protest.
Jan Wolfrum, it's nice that you decide what others should do and what they are otherwise 🙄
Jan Wolfrum, that's how it is!!!!
Jan Wolfrum: Currently, over 290.000 people have already signed the petition – and yes, protest can make a difference. In 2021, Sony wanted to close the PS3 and PS Vita stores. After massive backlash from the community, Sony reversed the decision and kept the stores running. That's why it's worth raising your voice.
Jan Wolfrum: 300.000 signatures isn't really that few.
omg,
Simply embarrassing…