No amount of backlash will change Sony's mind on disc cancellation, says ex-Santa Monica dev

Sony's decision to end physical PlayStation disc production by January 2028 has been public for about three weeks now, and according to a former Santa Monica Studio developer, no amount of pushback is going to change the outcome.

Alanah Pearce, who worked on God of War Ragnarok before leaving Sony, laid out the case in a recent video. According to Pearce, Sony already knew this would upset people, and made the call anyway because leadership believes it's the right long-term move for the brand.

She pointed out that most players have already shifted to digital purchases, even if the loudest voices online suggest otherwise. She also compared the moment to Microsoft's infamous Xbox One E3 backlash a decade ago, where consumer anger didn't actually stop the underlying industry trend from happening.

"None of that backlash, no amount of public outrage or petitioning will be able to change it."

While Pearce may be right, the backlash itself has been hard to ignore. A Change.org petition passed 120,000 signatures within four days of the announcement and has since climbed past 300,000 alongside a $457 million lawsuit in the Netherlands over PlayStation Store pricing, and Mexico's government has opened its own inquiry into whether killing discs hands Sony too much control over pricing and distribution.

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Sony's response so far has mostly been silence. The company reportedly didn't loop in its own regional offices, including PlayStation India, before the announcement went out, and has gone quiet on social media since. PlayStation has offered PSN subscribers discounts of up to 50% to stick around, which suggests some retention concern internally, even if the disc decision itself hasn't budged.

There is also the question of what it does to the secondhand market. Analysts pegged the global resale market for games, consoles, and accessories at $7.2 billion in 2025, and a move to all-digital PlayStation sales would effectively remove new PS6-era titles from that ecosystem entirely, since digital purchases can't be resold or traded the way discs can.

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Sony has also come under fire for price-fixing, as people think Sony's decision forces them to move to their digital stores instead. A former PlayStation executive has tried to argue against the idea that Sony controls pricing directly, saying that publishers set the numbers on the PlayStation Store. Even that hasn't done much to cool tempers among people who feel priced out either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Question #1

Why does the article say Sony thinks ending physical disc production is the 'right long-term move' despite expected backlash?

The article says Sony believes ending physical disc production is the "right long-term move" because leadership judged the shift toward digital as the prevailing trend and accepted that the decision would upset some people, so they proceeded anyway. Alanah Pearce argues most players have already moved to digital purchases and Sony treated the backlash as a predictable, unavoidable reaction similar to past industry shifts, so the company is prioritizing long-term strategy over short-term outrage.

Answered

Question #2

How large has the public backlash been, according to the article (petitions, lawsuits, government inquiries)?

The article says a Change.org petition passed 120,000 signatures within four days and has since climbed past 300,000, a $457 million lawsuit in the Netherlands has been filed, and Mexico's government has opened an inquiry into the decision. These examples are cited as the main indicators of the public backlash.

Answered

Question #3

What has Sony said or done publicly in response to the disc phaseout announcement, per the article?

Click to reveal answer

Question #4

How could ending disc production affect the secondhand/resale market, based on the article's figures?

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For now, expect more of the same from Sony. There will probably be no public comment or reversal of the strategy. I, personally, expect Sony to absorb the backlash and still move on with their plan. As of right now, the PS6 is on track to launch without a disc drive at all, and if Pearce's read is right, the backlash was priced in from the start.