Sony’s State of Play Disappointed Fans, Who Flooded the Chat With Protests Over the End of Physical Games and Destiny

As promised, a new edition of the State of Play took place on Thursday, September 3, with PlayStation sharing new trailers and information about games coming to PS5. The presentation left plenty to be desired, and without a doubt, the most interesting part was the strong reactions from fans in the live chat.

The community used the latest broadcast to express its frustration over several of Sony’s recent and controversial decisions. The complaints focused on two main topics: the disappearance of physical games and the abrupt end of Bungie’s Destiny series. And yes, many players simply felt disappointed by the announcements.

The presentation lasted nearly 1 hour and featured announcements for games that are already available as well as original projects coming soon to PS5 and other platforms. During the event, we learned about new content coming to Ghost of Yotei and saw a new trailer for Konami’s Rev. Noir.

The State of Play also confirmed a new release related to Grand Theft Auto VI and revealed the release date for Final Fantasy VII Revelation, among other announcements. However, the reality is that these reveals were largely overshadowed, as much of the players’ attention was focused on the live chat.

The livestream was immediately flooded with criticism, complaints, and protests directed at PlayStation. Players began posting dozens of messages such as “No Disc, No Buy”, along with disc emojis. The reason? They wanted to criticize Sony over its decision to move away from physical games.

Sony announced that it will stop producing physical games starting in 2028, a move that will affect both first-party exclusives and third-party releases. The community is clearly unhappy, and it did not miss the opportunity to make its feelings known during the State of Play. If you forgot, this was PlayStation’s first major event since the news was announced in early July.

Players also posted messages asking PlayStation to reverse its plans to abandon physical video games. Negative reactions were visible on both YouTube and Twitch, although the Japanese company has yet to respond to the latest criticism.

At the end of June, Lin Tao, Sony’s chief financial officer, broke her silence and addressed the controversy surrounding the company’s recent announcements for the first time. The executive acknowledged the frustration visible online and elsewhere, saying that “there are people who have strong views.” However, she added that the company would “proceed cautiously”. In other words, Sony does not appear ready to change course, despite the ongoing boycotts.

Destiny Fans Also Protested Against PlayStation

Although much of the conversation surrounding the State of Play focused on the controversy over physical games, another section of the community turned its attention to an equally controversial topic: the uncertain future of Destiny.

At the end of May, Bungie announced that it would stop releasing new content and significant updates for the franchise’s second installment. It was later revealed that the studio suffered significant layoffs, while multiple reports claimed that Destiny 3 isn’t even in development.

The company will now direct much of its resources toward Marathon, the extraction shooter that, despite receiving decent reviews, is struggling to maintain a strong player base. The community reacted with considerable anger to the news and even launched a review-bombing campaign.

During September’s State of Play, the live chat was filled with messages such as “We want Destiny 3” and “Save Destiny.” Fans are hoping their complaints will convince Bungie and Sony to greenlight a new installment in the sci-fi franchise.