After Sony announced that PlayStation will gradually bid farewell to physical game discs in the future, players’ anger continued to simmer, and now a new controversy has broken out. Sources have alleged that Sony may use social bot accounts and trend-setting operations to try to reduce players’ dissatisfaction with the strategy of canceling the physical version, triggering a new wave of heated discussions.
There seems to be a large number of “digital support” accounts?
According to the whistleblower Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID), after PlayStation announced that it would stop producing physical game discs, a large number of accounts suddenly appeared on social platforms supporting Sony’s decision. These accounts used to publish content unrelated to games for a long time, but after the policy was announced, they suddenly began to focus on discussing and defending comprehensive digitalization.
The whistleblower therefore questioned whether these accounts were controlled and used to change players’ views on the policy of discontinuing the sale of physical discs. However, the relevant claims are still leaked by outsiders, and Sony officials have not confirmed or admitted the relevant accusations.
From players not needing discs to full digitalization, Sony is experiencing a huge rebound
Sony previously announced that PlayStation will stop producing new physical game discs starting in 2028, citing the fact that digital game sales have become mainstream in the market and the production costs and demand for physical formats have declined. But as soon as this decision was announced, it immediately triggered a backlash from a large number of players. Many players believe that the physical version is not only for collection, but also represents the player’s right to save, resell and trade the game freely. Some media have even criticized that a comprehensive shift to digital mode may cause players to lose their true ownership of the game.
A war between the digital future and player rights!
For Sony, digitization can indeed reduce costs and allow the platform to master more sales data. But for players, the question is not just “whether there is a disc”, but when purchasing a game in the future, are they buying a work or an authorized ticket that can only be used. Now coupled with the accusation that “robots are leading the way,” what was originally a simple business decision has turned into a trust war between players and the platform. While there is currently no evidence that Sony is actually operating bot accounts, the controversy is clearly not ready to cool down just yet.