(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
In case you didn’t know, PlayStation is officially killing physical discs. The company says this is a natural step that aligns with how most players buy and play games. Considering how 85% of PlayStation games (via PlayStation's financials) are bought digitally, this move isn’t all that surprising — though that fact doesn’t ease the concern of many who see this as a wrong move.Tom’s Guide reached out to Stop Killing Games, the campaign pushing for legal protections so games don’t disappear once publishers stop supporting them, to get their take on what this announcement means for PlayStation players and gamers as a whole.The group’s responses were measured on some points but clear on others. While they didn’t outright call Sony’s consumer preference argument false, they argued that the bigger issue isn’t really about discs at all. Here are some highlights from their answers to our questions.The disc isn't the problem
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Mike from Stop Killing Games, who answered our questions, didn’t argue about whether most people preferred digital to physical. Instead, they challenged the notion that removing physical discs is the next logical step with no downsides. In their estimation, the conversation has become too focused on the format itself rather than on what players lose when that format disappears.“The lack of the disc is just a symptom and not the core problem in itself,” Mike told us. They see the shift away from physical media as a surface-level change that masks a deeper issue: the gradual erosion of player ownership and long-term access to games."What customers need [is] assurances their games won't be taken from them after purchase."Mike, Stop Killing GamesHaving a physical disc gives players something close to real ownership. Even if a publisher decided to shut down servers or stop supporting a game, you still (in most cases) had a working copy. This hasn’t been a thing on PC for a long time, and it appears the same will happen on consoles. Stop Killing Games thinks that’s why Sony’s response is wrong. Players are losing one of the last ways to keep a game they bought.“What customers need [is] assurances their games won't be taken from them after purchase, which large publishers sometimes have a very poor track record on,” Mike said.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Second-hand sales and publisher incentives
