No Amount of Backlash Will Get PlayStation To Revert Disc Cancellation, Says Ex-Santa Monica Dev

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PlayStation Already Expected A Fair Amount of Backlash And Was Prepared!

Story Highlight
  • A former Santa Monica developer notes that PlayStation already expected backlash following the end of physical disc production.
  • She states that consumers have already largely accepted digital games, so this decision is unlikely to be reverted.
  • It is also said that Sony may be repurposing its disc manufacturing plants to work on AI projects.

PlayStation’s physical disc cancellation announcement is now over three weeks old, yet the gaming giant has failed to acknowledge any of the ongoing backlash.

Despite the lack of social media posts for a while and never-ending criticism on the gamers’ part, PlayStation has almost settled into routine now. A former Santa Monica developer also states that the gaming giant is unlikely to reverse course at this point.

Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of gamers have filed a petition to revert this decision. Multiple lawsuits against Sony have also been field toward this end.

Former Santa Monica writer Alanah Pearce, who also worked on God of War Laufey, recently made a video discussing the backlash PlayStation has been facing for multiple weeks now.

She notes that PlayStation already expected that this decision would not go over too well with most gamers. However, she also makes the point that PlayStation likely feels the decision is the right one for the long-term success of the brand.

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

She discusses the fact that consumers today are largely accepting of digital games, even if a vocal part of the social media audience suggests otherwise. Alanah Pearce even references Xbox’s infamous E3 conference, noting that PlayStation’s announcement is not too different.

As per the former Santa Monica writer, this transition was practically inevitable, though PlayStation may have been a bit too quick with the reveal itself.

PlayStation Silent on Social Media
PlayStation Silent on Social Media

Alanah Pearce also notes that PlayStation may have plans to repurpose its disc manufacturing facilities into AI data training center.

At this point, the gaming giant is doing all it can to uplift shareholder confidence in Sony as a brand, and the decision to end disc production may have been part of that equation. As such, a course correction seems practically impossible.

What do you think about the former Santa Monica writer’s outlook on the situation? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

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