Sony’s plan to stop making PlayStation discs by 2028 has turned a familiar gaming argument into a bigger, more personal fight. The Don’t Kill the Disc petition, started after the company’s announcement, has now passed 120,000 signatures from players asking Sony to keep physical games available for the PlayStation 6 generation.
For many of them, this is not an anti-download protest. It is a protest against downloads becoming the only option.
Why players are pushing back
The petition was launched by Jade Pearce, chief executive officer of PNP Games, and its message is direct: players want the option to buy a disc they can hold, lend, resell, collect, or put on a shelf as proof they bought it.
“We are not against digital. We are against digital being the only option,” the petition letter says. “A large and passionate community still wants a real, physical game they own outright, and Sony is about to take that choice away. Sign to tell Sony to keep disc-based games alive beyond 2028, so the next generation can own the games they play, not just rent them. If we do not speak up now, the disc disappears, and the choice goes with it.”
That last point is carrying much of the reaction. Digital libraries are convenient, but they depend on storefronts, accounts, licenses, and policies that can change. Physical media has become, for some players, less about nostalgia than control.
What supporters are saying
The petition page has filled with comments, short videos, and players explaining why this issue matters to them. Some say they still prefer physical releases for preservation. Others are more blunt: if the PlayStation 6 has no disc option, they will not buy it.
Nelson Ricardo wrote, “Without a physical media, I just won’t buy another console. I don’t trust Sony anymore, and the PS5 will probably be the last console I will own before going full pc, but it would be nice to not make me feel stupid for buying it at least until this generation is over.”
Another player, Tony, described switching to PlayStation during the PlayStation 4 era and investing heavily in Sony’s ecosystem.
“During the PlayStation 4 generation, I made the leap from a competitor (something I’d previously sworn I’d never do) and purchased my first Sony console,” he wrote. “I quickly invested a lot of time and money into the PlayStation ecosystem under the belief that I would be a long-term customer. I purchased a PlayStation 5 console on day one and buy a large percentage of my games in physical form on release day. I will not be purchasing a PlayStation 6 if physical games are discontinued. I have started to perceive PlayStation as a consumer-unfriendly brand and feel like I am being taken advantage of.”
That is what’s driving a lot of the backlash. Players are not just debating plastic discs. They are asking whether a long-running relationship with a platform still works if ownership becomes more conditional.
How the backlash spread beyond the petition
The campaign has also spread across social media, where criticism has followed Sony into places that have little to do with game discs. The creator behind Moore’s Law Is Dead urged followers not merely to reply to PlayStation posts, but to respond to Sony posts across the board, arguing that the company needed to understand the decision could damage more than the PlayStation brand.
Another prominent account, Zuby_Tech, pointed to the scale of the online reaction, saying that after five days, Sony had not tweeted, while the conversation had drawn more than 140 million views. The account argued that PlayStation could not afford to stay silent this time, even if the company has often waited to respond to major controversies.
That silence has become part of the story. Five days after the announcement, PlayStation’s social channels have been unusually quiet. Even unrelated Sony posts, including material tied to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, have been met with replies about discs. Corporate social media managers, as always, are having a day.
Could Sony change course before PS6
It is not clear whether Sony believes the backlash will fade or whether it is reconsidering any part of its next-generation plan. A reversal may be difficult if manufacturing partners and disc plants have already shifted to other products. Supply chains do not usually pivot because a comment section becomes spicy.
Still, the reaction has grown beyond a niche console argument. Most games sold each year are now digital, and many players who defend discs also buy plenty of games through online stores. But the physical game disc remains a symbol of ownership in gaming culture. It represents the idea that a purchase can exist outside an account login and a licensing agreement.
That is why the petition has found an audience larger than the number of people who buy every release in a box. For collectors, parents, preservationists, secondhand buyers, and players with limited internet access, the disc is not just packaging. It is a practical option.
Sony has not yet said whether it will respond directly to the campaign. Until it does, the question hanging over the PlayStation 6 is no longer only what games it will run. It is whether players will be able to own them in a form they can actually hold.
