While Sony deciding to stop making physical discs for new PlayStation games starting from January 2028 will likely lead to a slate of ramifications across the entire video game industry, there are some companies who are already stepping forward and making it clear they do not support this decision.
Many of the smaller scale physical media distributors and developers who have long supported physical sales, have taken to social media to express their 'disappointment' with Sony's choice.
One such example is iam8bit, who notes it is "profoundly disappointed" by the move by Sony and that its "commitment" to physical media "remains unchanged". Its reasoning is outlined as such: "Physical games are vital to games preservation, ownership, and consumer choice, values that have guided iam8bit since our first physical release in 2016."
<social>https://x.com/iam8bit/status/2072362233422590269</social>
To add to this, Aeternum Game Studios, the maker of Aeterna Noctis among other titles, has issued a "clear message", wherein it promises "making physical editions a reality for all our titles is now an ABSOLUTE PRIORITY." The company mentions it cannot "stand idly by" and that "physical format is not just a disc; it is a preservation, culture, and the very soul of video games."
Granted, Aeternum Game Studios is at the whim of Sony on this matter, and hence why it has until January 2028 to produce physical editions of each game that it makes and those which are already available. It signs off with: "The industry may try to change its course, but we will not let go of your hand. Your shelves will keep being filled with stories."
<social>https://x.com/aeternathegame/status/2072369342625259640</social>
Another example is rental platform GameFly, who notes that the company is run by "people who believe physical products still matter." Because of this, it promises to commit to "renting physical media, be it games or movies until they pry the discs from our soft, moisturised hands."
<social>https://x.com/gamefly/status/2072404434529710540</social>
This is all on top of many fans voicing their discontent, including on a Sony social media post about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is now littered with thousands of vocal and angry gamers. Needless to say, this has been a very controversial decision by the PlayStation owner.
<social>https://x.com/Sony/status/2072319386686312799</social>