Sony Accused of Blacklisting Media That Criticized Disc Discontinuation

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Following reports that Sony is restricting interviews and information access for overseas media outlets that covered the PS5’s move away from physical discs, Japan’s 5channel gaming board (Geha) erupted into debate over the truth and intent behind the move. The thread also saw arguments over alleged retailer blacklisting, comparisons to Nintendo Switch 2’s key-card system, and disputes over how to interpret images claiming to show which titles are being snubbed.

Some media outlets that reported on Sony’s plan to move away from physical discs for PlayStation games

are reportedly having their access to games and information needed for reviews and interviews restricted by PlayStation’s local subsidiaries.

Source: sumahodigest.com / Original article here

4Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:48:33.07ID:mexZJrsN0
But hey
from the media's point of view, PlayStation just isn't 'needed' anymore, right?
5Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:49:18.60ID:cxszZgpN0
That's weird…
whatever happened to that 95% approval rating?
6Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:50:11.82ID:zFMn+cUB0
That's because the download rate is 95%
who needs the 5% who still want discs anyway
10Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:51:12.09ID:UNXSEkqg0
Even in the Reiwa era, the industry's cancer never stops promoting itself
11Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:51:31.15ID:jdXDYgvb0
There were outlets that should've just reported the facts but went full emotional and started bashing Sony instead
piss off your best customer and this is what happens
12Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:52:12.03ID:qt8iagX30
'Play it and you're one of us' (they said)
'Criticize it and you're the enemy' (they never actually said that)
14Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:53:33.96ID:K+rBMNi90
Why not just start a 'PS Central Times' and put out their own press releases? Get that walking Sony-encyclopedia auntie to be the anchor. (a jab likening it to a state-run propaganda outlet)
15Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:53:36.11ID:4N8Y2Ugs0
Same old embarrassing stuff as always
16Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:54:05.43ID:AKawPfDn0
There's probably a retailer blacklist too
GEO's probably at the top of it (GEO = major Japanese used-game/media retail chain)
19Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:56:07.07ID:A3Ct0Elq0
>>16
Is there even a difference between being blacklisted and not, lol

either way they're pulling out of stores anyway
39Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:11:06.94ID:OH/fkFnu0
>>16
it's not like it's a product anyone's desperate for anymore, so no real damage, lol — cutting ties might even be a plus
it's not like some 'PS6' is gonna turn things around either
20Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:56:09.74ID:6imP9qdJ0
>>1
they've been doing this forever
back in the Famicom era tons of gaming media and retailers sprang up, then got crushed en masse once the industry threw up barriers
22Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:56:39.79ID:wsqPDv9xa
From now on, everyone who buys discs to save money and manage the risk of getting a dud game is gonna move over to the Switch 2
you'll see what that means soon enough, lol

honestly I figured I'd keep my PS5 around if I could still save money buying discs
but now they're killing that off
and mid-cycle for the PS5, no less

a PS5 with no discs is just a crappy PC with no reason to exist, lol
23Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:57:28.13ID:dFM27gdY0
Now I get why they swapped the circle/X confirm-cancel buttons around
they shut Japan out without even explaining that one either
25Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 17:57:56.68ID:q2bk7xa20
This is a company that, when DS or Switch looked like they might overtake its install base, shamelessly padded its PS2 sales figures without a shred of shame
doesn't seem like a legit company to me
54Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:21:38.84ID:xwyRa1hM0
What's this company gonna do without the media's backing?
55Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:22:38.29ID:Yz8HEgDP0
>>54
they're not trying to eliminate the ones who actually hold power though
62Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:32:12.63ID:QW936h7VH
This is clearly not the kind of move a company doing well would make
just admit it already: 'our revenue model's changed, games aren't selling'
63Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:33:55.44ID:Yz8HEgDP0
>>62
so what kind of move do you call Nintendo's key-card system then
you've gotta separate 'trends of the times' from 'a company's momentum,' or it just becomes dead weight
68Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:37:28.57ID:84ogWQCG0
>>63
key cards? you can still resell those used
totally different from a code-in-a-box
69Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:37:33.70ID:zrhfxNro0
>>63
if anything, Nintendo only looks better by comparison now that PS has killed off discs
even while shifting toward digital, they're doing it gradually
and it's not just key cards — with amiibo and handheld-specific peripherals, they're keeping a retail sales channel open too,
making sure stores have a reason to stock hardware that isn't profitable on its own
it's the exact opposite of a hardware maker abruptly axing discs
74Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:43:05.43ID:Yz8HEgDP0
>>69
before any of that, they're getting snubbed left and right — makes you wonder what 'evaluation' even means
tps://i.imgur.com/0DXIRSP.jpeg
78Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:47:29.01ID:zrhfxNro0
>>74
I'm asking everyone who keeps posting that list — pick a title from it you're actually interested in and explain what it's about
and beyond that, you need to explain how a hardware policy connects to a multiplatform title list in terms of evaluation criteria

without a convincing explanation on both points, this just looks like some 'breaking news' guy who got clocked by a solid point in >>69, couldn't argue back, and self-destructed trying to flex with some random overseas title list he doesn't even understand
108Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:24:28.02ID:cPDoFz6Zd
>>74
what are you even trying to do posting a list that has nothing to do with evaluating key cards
you just really wanted an excuse to post that image, didn't you
77Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:47:19.28ID:L7/ioWV20
>>62
because this doesn't look like a positive evolution
the reason being they were sitting on the fence at PS5 launch and then suddenly lurched to one side
the structure wouldn't look any different even if it were, say, 'server costs shot up so we're axing downloads instead'
it just screams 'we don't have a vision, we're just getting swept along'
if they'd instead said 'starting with PS6 we're going digital-only, and cross-gen releases will follow the same policy,' this wouldn't be getting this kind of reaction
109Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:25:51.29ID:DNgxaeIo0
>>77
maybe they scheduled this to line up with PS6, and global circumstances just threw the timing off
87Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 18:59:44.36ID:+pxzWaNd0
Sony really is a master of the information war, as always
Nintendo puts its weight behind Nintendo Direct and TV commercials, so it's not that great a customer for gaming media
meanwhile nearly all the AAA publishers dropping huge ad budgets are on PlayStation's side, so gaming media can't afford to cross Sony
90Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:04:36.27ID:3DOuN9OI0
>>87
they used to pull this stuff without getting caught
the fact that it's getting caught now probably means Sony's influence has weakened quite a bit
89Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:02:44.54ID:Yz8HEgDP0
>>78
even if you tell me it's 'the right call,' I can't accept it if adoption ends up failing
and if that's the standard, then you'd have to accept following the PC/smartphone model too, which is essentially fully digital already
95Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:11:18.24ID:zrhfxNro0
>>89
what are you even talking about — this is hardware in only its second year with one of the fastest adoption paces around… oh wait, sorry, were you talking about that OTHER hardware that might not even hit 100 million units? my bad
and you're still dodging the whole 'you confidently posted that list even though you don't care about the content' thing — classic breaking-news-guy move

and here's a fresh problem for you: those fully-digital smartphones and PCs are products that can earn incentives on the hardware alone, right?
if you're planning to sell PS6 that way, it's not gonna stop at 100,000 yen, lol
110Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:26:35.35ID:zrhfxNro0
>>108
that's exactly the point being made, and it's still not actually a response (see >>89)
98Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:13:20.72ID:Yz8HEgDP0
>>95
that pace already dropped a while back — PS5 has overtaken it in worldwide monthly sales
and there's a price hike coming in September, so its chances of spreading further are only going to keep shrinking
100Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:14:30.14ID:cBIEPINh0
Guess the die-hard Sony-fanboy spirit ('uchi-Sony') is still alive
102Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:16:09.86ID:ho+GPlcj0
>>100
that's basically their company motto
104Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:18:41.10ID:k9pErjF4d
>>78
the point was that they're getting snubbed across the board from games announced at major global game shows,
and you're talking about personal interest instead — that's probably why nobody's taking you seriously
105Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 19:21:23.07ID:zrhfxNro0
>>104
says the guy who's been milking GTA6 and Persona this whole time
I've never seen you flex with any other title — have you?

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Sony Accused of Blacklisting Media Critical of PlayStation Disc Discontinuation; Blacklist Suspicions Surface.”

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