Featured Image Credit: Santa Monica Studio
The villagers are sharpening their pitchforks and marching toward the PlayStation headquarters, with the gaming giant being lambasted over changes to the production of physical discs.
Gaming purists already warned that physical media is in danger of going extinct, as our libraries are now largely made up of digital purchases.
That's just the thing, though, whereas our shelves were once made up of shiny steelbooks and unique collector's editions, critics say we're now effectively 'renting' games via digital licenses. As we've seen with the likes of 2013's Deadpool game, the fact that the Marvel license has expired means only those who have a physical disc can play the underrated title.
There were already complaints that GTA VI is launching without a disc in November 2026, but just days later, Sony distracted from this drama when it confirmed it will no longer produce physical discs as of January 2028.
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Many claimed they were done with PlayStation following the announcement, and as some vote with their wallets, others are apparently getting a bargain.
Sony is also reeling from backlash over the closure of the PS Vita and PS3 Store, and although it's nowhere near abandoning the gaming world as we look ahead to the PlayStation 6, irate customers are supposedly abandoning the Blue Team in droves.
First port of call appears to be PlayStation Plus, with the popular subscription service facing a serious hurdle after it's already been slammed when compared to Xbox Game Pass. Despite an impressive July 2026 lineup that includes 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, disgruntled gamers are trying to show Sony their ire by cancelling their monthly subscription.
Over on Reddit, u/Castilloryrock wrote: "In protest to Sony going all digital, I tried to cancel my subscription. But they hit me with a 50% off if I resubscribe. Haha."
The OP appears to be in Hong Kong, so it's unclear whether the hack will work in other territories.
Still, as anyone who's tried to tighten their belts and cut back on their subscriptions will know, companies will often offer you a reduced rate when you try to cancel.
Typically, PS Plus costs $10.99 for the Essential tier that gives you access to discounts and three free downloadable monthly games, $16.99 for Extra that adds access to the Game Catalog of PS4 and PS5 games, and $19.99 for the Premium offering. The latter includes all of the above, cloud streaming, limited-time game trials, and the Classics Catalog of PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games.
This wouldn't be the first time fans have threatened to cancel their PS Plus, but this time, there seems to be a lot more of you willing to pull the plug.
Replying to the Reddit thread, others claimed they weren't given the same offer. Someone else added: "Give it a month. Then look at the offerings. They didn’t send me any offers, but when I looked at the different tiers on console, they were massively discounted."
Another said: "I was offered 25% off for 12 months of premium. And that’s after redeeming another offer for extending my sub back in February."
A third concluded: "Same, but I didn’t take the bait. Not supporting Sony with a single dime until they reverse this fiasco."
Many said they were cancelling regardless, so it might take more than a tasty PS Plus discount to keep cranky customers around.
Presumably lying low until things blow over, all PlayStation social media channels went dark in the aftermath of the physical disc announcement. It then returned to social media after a whole week of silence, pretending like nothing had happened as it hyped the FlexStrike wireless fight stick.
As you can imagine, that post was swallowed by negativity. At the time of writing, the official PlayStation X's account's post has been engulfed by 4.3K likes and 28K comments. Despite gamers clearly thinking they can force PlayStation into a U-turn, the fact that it's already repurposed one disc factory is far from the only sign the deal is done.
With PlayStation saying 85% of software purchases from the last quarter were digital, it feels like this one was only a matter of time.
