I can be critical of DOA6LR, both for its original design and for this shitshow of a release, while still trying to be fair and not overstate its flaws, and some people act as if I'm saying the game is perfect. We're all frustrated with the game. Don't take it out on me, thanks.
I'm talking to people - Sony is currently being inundated with emails and messages behind the scenes from smaller publishers and devs voicing their displeasure over the end of physical games.
I'm actually kinda shocked just how much internal backlash there has been to this.
Doubt it'll make a difference, this was apparently a decision made by the money men within the last two months, is 100% influenced by component costs & manufacturing (AI ruining everything again)
They know nobody will buy a $1000+ PS6
They have calculated that the only way the PS6 makes business sense for them right now in terms of margins is to kill both the retail and resale market. Furthermore, they figure people are invested enough in the ecosystem that they're locked-in for life.
They fully expected a huge backlash and took it into account, but they think the anger won't amount to much in terms of real financial losses and are willing to take the PR hit.
Of the 15% of the current PlayStation audience that buy physical, they expect only 2-3% of people not to move over to fully-digital upon being forced.
The money saved by getting rid of the retailer cut, and lost on the reseller market eclipses that 2-3% and makes up for their miniscule profit expected per PS6 sold. (they will not sell it at a loss, but are willing to only make as little as $50 per unit sold)
The only way they'd ever reverse this decision is if the 2-3% of physical audience they expect to lose is instead around 8-10%+
As much as i'd love to see everyone come together and somehow force their hand with a mass boycott, I doubt it will happen.
They have been wanting to kill physical since around 2020, the AI RAMpocalypse has forced their hand.
2/2
We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That's what I'm afraid of. This is not greed.
1/2
Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off.
Gamers hate when anybody talks about real politics but capitalism is working the exact way it was designed and is going to price you out of gaming. You will own nothing. You will not be able to afford even borrowing the license. The companies making games are literally dying.
It's 2029
You just bought a PS6
It cost 1200 dollars
All games are digital
They each cost 80 dollars
You have 4 in your library
Yesterday it was 5 but Sony removed one
They offered no refund, its just gone
You'd strangle yourself with the controller cord but its wireless
People don’t realize how much this could change the gaming market.
When physical games disappear, it doesn’t just affect collectors. It affects the entire ecosystem around gaming.
Retro game stores? Many of them survive because people still buy, sell, and trade physical games. As physical media declines, some of those stores will have a much harder time staying open.
Collector’s Editions? If everything becomes digital, what’s the incentive? Are people really going to spend $200+ for a few digital cosmetics and a downloadable license? A huge part of what made those editions special was owning something tangible.
And don’t think retro prices won’t be affected. As fewer physical games are produced, the older ones become even more desirable. Supply goes down, demand goes up, and prices climb even higher.
This isn’t just about preferring discs over downloads. It’s about ownership, preservation, accessibility, local game stores, collectors, and the future of gaming as a whole.
There’s so much more at stake than people realize, and I don’t think the long term impact is good. #supportphysicalmedia
Without physical games:
- Midnight launches are dead
- Collectors Editions lose half of their value
- You can’t share, trade, or sell your games
- You can’t buy used games
- If there’s a server outage, you’re shit out of luck
- YOU OWN NOTHING