Video game juggernaut, PlayStation, is getting rid of physical media such as Blu Rays and video games. They first made the announcement on July 1^st confirming their next console, the PlayStation 6, will be an all-digital platform with all games also going by the format. This has sparked a worldwide backlash unlike anything seen on the gaming space. This backlash has been sparked by multiple sources. One of which, former PlayStation fan Nick Wasdan.

“The removal of the CD’s is in my opinion not a great decision—It’s removing a big reason to have video games in the first place for the ability to have social and shared games and all that as well as restricting the access to games for everyone.” Wasdan stated.

Some of the other sources are retail and secondhand stores which thrive on selling physical media such as local store King of Trade run by its floor manager Alex Kindrachuk.

“In the long term I think it would be negative for the store,” Kindrachuk said. “We won’t have new Sony games to buy off of people and sell used again.”

 The main reasoning for the backlash is due to this move being anti-consumer. All games bought digitally are connected to the PlayStation servers which are monitored by Sony. Because of this if their servers are down, you won’t be able to play any of their games. If Sony decides to shut down the servers when they have no use for them anymore, you will lose all your games. With physical, you own the game and can play it at any time or do whatever you want with it like mod or emulate it. By getting rid of physical discs, a lot of consumers feel like their rights are being taken away in favor of Sony controlling everything, leading to an attempt to boycott the company from fans.

This boycott and annoyance with Sony has been everywhere, including smaller places such as Lethbridge. The first to be affected are citizens who used to love the brand. For example, Wasdan who has been loyal to the brand for over a decade.Wasdan had recently moved to Lethbridge and has gotten a stable job within the city doing construction. After hours of work, he likes to enjoy playing his PlayStation 5 and the games it has to offer. He has been a fan since 2014 with his first console being the PS3. It was the only video game brand he personally enjoyed which makes their recent decisions as a valued customer even more frustrating for him. Wasdan has always supported PlayStation, but his support has been thrown into heavy doubt due to their recent decisions. If Sony doesn’t reverse the decision, he may stop supporting them and not buy the PlayStation 6 when it releases in 2028.

While PlayStation is a big target at the moment, they’re not the only ones making questionable decisions with digital games. One other notable company which faced massive backlash earlier this year was Rockstar Games. This was due to them announcing the extremely anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 would not have a physical version. Instead, when you buy the case for the game inside will be a download code for the exclusive digital version. Just like Sony this has caused equally as big of a backlash from people in the gaming space. There are other factors to this such as Rockstar charging extra for a more enhanced version, but most fans are furious at not owning a game they’ve waited for and anticipated for over a decade.

These decisions made by the billion-dollar companies have been frustrating for fans, as well, there’s another side of Lethbridge which may be drastically affected in the future. That being the retail stores which sell physical video game consoles and games. First opening in 1982, King of Trade is a brand with multiple stores across Southern Alberta selling used music, movies, cards, instruments, and video games of a very high quality. However, the recent choices made by both Rockstar and Sony have Kindrachuk and the other employees frustrated. If both companies continue doing this and if others follow, then it could result in a lot of consequences for them and other retailers.

There are multiple moves customers are doing to counteract these decisions. Whether it’s trying to purchase as many physical games as possible, posting about them, or not supporting anything Sony does until they revert their decision.