I’ve been a PlayStation fan for most of my life.
My first modern console was a PlayStation 4 that my family got when I was in third grade. It was connected to every gaming-related memory I made for about ten years.
I spent hours on end playing “Destiny 2” in middle school, and hours playing “The Last of Us” in 2020 during quarantine when there was nothing else to do. Some of my favorite memories from those years involve me holding a PlayStation controller.
That’s why looking at the state of PlayStation in 2026 feels so strange, as audiences that spent years with these consoles are becoming increasingly disconnected from the company behind the games.
In the past couple of years, Sony has been intent on making decisions that seem increasingly more interested in lining their pockets as opposed to making products for the very audience that made PlayStation successful to begin with.
People need to stop asking if they like what they’re being sold, and instead ask if they like the company that’s selling it. And right now, that trust is wearing thin.
The most obvious and talked-about of the recent strange decisions made by PlayStation, is their decision to end the production of physical games. Starting in January 2028, new PlayStation releases will no longer be released as physical discs. Sony says this is simply the company adapting to changing consumer preferences. After all, digital game purchases accounted for 78% of full-game unit purchases during the most recent fiscal year.
Business-wise, it makes sense. Digital games cost less to distribute, can’t be resold for lower prices and keep customers buying strictly from Sony’s ecosystem.
But customers do not experience this as a smart business move. They experience it as a loss of ownership, and for good reason.
Sony’s very own software terms and conditions state that all virtual content is “licensed, not owned,” and access can be taken away whenever they decide to end service for a game. That distinction has existed in the fine print of digital media for many years now, but the loss of physical media makes it mean more. If digital games only exist as digital licenses, then what am I buying?
There was such significant backlash to this decision that Sony had to say that they were aware of customer sentiment and would still “cautiously” proceed with the shift. The important thing about the public backlash is that it was coming from more than just nostalgic gamers who missed physical games. It came from the overwhelming majority of their audience who have been increasingly anxious about how much control they have over the things they spend hundreds of their own dollars on.
PlayStation has recently adopted the strategy of raising prices and selling each aspect of the experience seperately. The PS5’s current retail price in the U.S. is around $650, a $150 increase from its already hefty price tag at launch. For an all-digital console, you can get your hands on one for $600, but for an enhanced experience, you can buy a PS5 Pro for $900, with a vertical stand and disc drive sold separately. What is this, Balenciaga?
None of these changes on their own would totally shatter people’s faith in PlayStation as a company. Companies raise prices, sell accessories separately and focus on digital distribution all the time. That’s just modern practice. But when they all happen one after the other, it’s hard not to notice a pattern. Everything is becoming more expensive while ownership and choice are becoming more limited.
And then there is their decision to cut off Hideo Kojima.
Hideo Kojima is my favorite game developer of all time. He’s the LeBron James of the gaming industry. If his name is attached to a project, then I am automatically interested.
If you don’t know him, he’s the creator of the series “Metal Gear Solid” (my favorite games of all time), and he collaborated with PlayStation in 2025 with “Death Stranding 2,” (easily my favorite game last year).
So when his upcoming game, “Physint,” was revealed as his next collaboration with PlayStation, I was excited. A spiritual successor to the “Metal Gear Solid” series made for the console I’ve been playing all my life? Sounds like a match made in heaven.
Until Sony cut ties with Kojima.
After PlayStation backed out of their end of the collaboration, Kojima spent months searching for another partner before ultimately finding one in Xbox. Xbox announced earlier this month it would be publishing “Physint.” Because of this, alongside the many other questionable decisions made by Sony, I am seriously considering switching over to Xbox when the next console generation rolls around so I can play the games I’ve been looking forward to for years. I’m not the only person saying this, and that should be troubling to Sony.
Competition between consoles should be about giving consumers a reason to choose your product, but Sony seems insistent on giving people reasons to leave.
If games are just becoming digital licenses, physical ownership is disappearing, hardware is costing as much as high-end designer fashion, important accessories are separated from console purchases, PC gaming is potentially being restricted and studios are being shuffled around according to ever-changing corporate strategies, then why should I invest my money in this company?
The answer is “access to Sony’s ecosystem,” but that’s just not compelling enough.
The irony is that PlayStation was never in need of aggressive reinvention like this. It’s already got what we as consumers have consistently wanted: good games and developers we trust.
Sony’s best path forward is to stop caring about trends and money, and to rebuild trust with the people who are already invested in its products.
They need to be more transparent about digital ownership. They need to recognize that physical media still matters to their audience. They need to give developers opportunities to make great games without dropping projects when it becomes risky. And most importantly, they need to treat customers like they’re more than just wallets attached to a PlayStation account.
I don’t want PlayStation to fail.
I want them to go back to being the company I grew up with. I want to look at their consoles and think of all the fun memories I’ve made with them instead of dreading how much I’ll have to spend on whatever they have in store for us next. I want to buy a game and know I could still play it ten years from now, even if it’s a flop and the game’s active service ends. I want talented creators to be given free rein to create the same kinds of games that made me fall in love with them.
And I want Sony to be willing to make the hard decisions to win back the people’s trust, even if it costs them some money.
I’m proof that faith in a company like this can last a long time. I’ve been buying their stuff since I was a third grader. But even lifelong customers have a breaking point.
As things stand, I can realistically imagine myself leaving PlayStation. Not because I don’t love PlayStation anymore, but because right now I highly doubt that PlayStation has any intention of loving me back.
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