I don’t think people truly understand the scope of the damage Sony is about to do to physical media. They literally invented the compact disc. They are the reason why Blu-ray as a format won the HD wars over HD-DVD. They have gargantuan influence over manufacturing disc-based media. If Sony as a company stops making physical media for their next gen gaming consoles, this is going to affect movies and music as well. If you buy CDs, DVDs, or Blu-rays, those are next on the chopping block.
I do want to point out that about 10 years ago, there was one manufacturer still pressing vinyl records left in the U.S. But since the resurgence of this format, multiple pressing facilities have opened, or reopened, and now vinyl is the most common form of physical music on the market. CDs and cassettes are also making a comeback.
Sony claims it’s using sales trends as a reason to phase out physical games. Corporations do actually care about making money. They follow these trends. I’m not saying panic buy all the physical media right now, but when it comes to owning things you can hold in your hand, you have to actually buy them.
Support places like:
iam8bit
Limited Run
Strictly Limited
Super Rare
Red Art Games
Just For Games
Hard Copy
1print
Gamefairy
And more
All of these places produce smaller batches of (typically) Indie titles but also some big name games too. 8bit has a contract with select retailers as well (BestBuy and Gamestop for sure, but potentially others) to keep physical media alive, but ordering directly from them will always be better.
We as consumers have blocked Sony - and Microsoft - from pulling bullshit like this before. Don't go quietly. Dog on 'em on social media and put your money where your mouth is to buy games and other media physically wherever you can.
i'd go a step further and say try to be less invested in what "big names" like sony and microsoft are doing now. all the games you love already came out. if you don't have them any more, pirate them! if you want hard copies, thrift them! fuck sony. pirate the new shit too, if you must, if you really must.
and if you really want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who get paid more to work less, put your money where your ass is and buy more indie games. if a game is pwyw, pay more than the minimum. support the folks who are actually driving innovation in games instead of the parasites that are profiting off rehashing the same shit over and over.
