Rumors suggest that some third-party publishers may be growing frustrated with Sony’s social media strategy following its decision to discontinue PlayStation discs in 2028. Sony has been under fire since its July 1 announcement, with most of the backlash coming from fans unhappy with the decision. Now, some people claim to have insider information suggesting that frustration with the Japanese company and PlayStation might extend beyond just the players.
The first major wave of user backlash began on July 7, when PlayStation finally broke its silence on social media. The company acted as if nothing had happened, posting about games and other topics unrelated to its recently announced no-disc policy. Many fans viewed this as disrespectful and flooded every PlayStation post with thousands of negative comments, mostly reminding Sony that the user base had not forgotten the controversial decision. Now, that same fan-led movement is reportedly causing frustration among third-party publishers as well.
Third-Party and Indie Publishers Might Change Their PlayStation Marketing Plans
On the July 14 episode of his Broken Silicon podcast, YouTuber Tom, who runs the Moore’s Law Is Dead channel, claimed he knows developers who are unhappy with Sony’s social media strategy. He referenced a conversation with an anonymous developer who said PlayStation offers one free social media post to promote new games but charges developers and publishers for additional marketing. Now, with every PlayStation post being flooded with negative comments, some third-party publishers are reportedly questioning whether they should continue paying the company to promote their games, at least while the online backlash continues.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
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An indie developer has publicly addressed how the current backlash against Sony is hurting smaller games. On July 16, Eat Pant Games took to social media to explain that the team was excited to see its indie game’s trailer posted on PlayStation’s YouTube channel, only to find that most of the attention it received was negative (via VGC). The trailer drew about 400 comments shortly after its release, with most discussing PlayStation’s no-disc policy. Needless to say, many people also disliked the video on YouTube without actually disliking the game itself.
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Image via Sony -
Image via Sony -
Image via Sony
Right now, Sony seems to have a lot on its plate. On the one hand, users are derailing its social media strategy with constant community notes and criticism. On the other hand, there seems to be an uptick in potential lawsuits against PlayStation following its abandonment of physical discs. Meanwhile, reports from several parts of the world, such as Brazil, suggest that some politicians want to hold Sony accountable and perhaps even force it to reverse course.
That said, one disappointing update came from an EU commissioner who said the European Union is likely unable to stop Sony from phasing out discs. But if the current rumors are true and third-party game studios and publishers are unhappy with Sony’s social media situation, it could be one of the earliest signs that fans’ continued movement against the Japanese video game giant might create a much bigger wave in the long run. For now, it remains to be seen how Sony will react to everything that’s happening and whether it will continue its same dismissive attitude on social media and elsewhere.
