{"id":67910,"date":"2026-07-11T18:06:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=67910"},"modified":"2026-07-11T18:06:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:06:43","slug":"eu-says-its-powerless-to-stop-playstation-from-killing-discs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=67910","title":{"rendered":"EU Says It&#8217;s Powerless to Stop PlayStation From Killing Discs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">As gamers sign online petitions and swarm upon each and every PlayStation social media post, the EU has said it\u2019s powerless to actually stop Sony \u2014 and indeed any company \u2014 from killing discs.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><u>Sony&#8217;s controversial decision to stop releasing games on physical discs<\/u> has sparked a backlash from gamers upset at the move to an all-digital future for all new PS5 games launched from January 2028 onwards \u2014 something that&#8217;s almost certain to also continue on <u>PS6<\/u>. A <u>high-profile petition calling on Sony to reconsider its decision<\/u> is inching towards 300,000 signatures, and in the past few days, PS5 users have taken to social media to share screenshots of cancelled PS Plus subscriptions.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Some had hoped that the EU, which has a record of strict consumer protection, might aid the cause, but Ireland\u2019s EU Commissioner has said Sony cannot be stopped from doing away with physical discs.<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-slideshow\"><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"\/><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Best PS5 Games<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img alt=\"&lt;h2&gt;The Top 25 PS5 Games&lt;\/h2&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;We\u2019re more than halfway through 2025, making it an excellent time to revisit our list of the best of what the PlayStation 5 has to offer. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;But what do we mean by \u201cbest?\u201d To be very clear, this is not an attempt at an \u201cobjective\u201d ranking that will indisputably line up with the tastes of gamers of all types. That, sadly, cannot exist; when one person\u2019s epic RPG masterpiece is another\u2019s boring and impenetrable slog, they\u2019ll never see eye to eye on where that game should rank against others of different genres. Even the personal lists of two people who love the same types of games will rarely line up exactly. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;Instead, this is a list of games that IGN\u2019s crew of PlayStation gamers recommend as a group, ranked using our Face-Off tool so that everybody got to weigh in equally on which games they thought should be placed above others. It\u2019s presented in the spirit of recognizing games we love, and encouraging others to try them if you haven\u2019t. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;With only 25 slots to fill, there are tons of amazing recent games that didn\u2019t float to the top \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t think they\u2019re awesome, too! Everybody who participated in voting has tons of personal favorites that didn\u2019t gain quite enough traction with the group to make the cut, which is inevitable when there are this many games and so many different perspectives. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;Bear in mind that while the PS5 is a powerhouse that can play any PlayStation 4-compatible game, for the sake of clarity our criteria for this list narrowed the pool down to focus on games that have PlayStation 5-specific versions. So while we still love games like the 2016 Doom, God of War, Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption 2, and many, many more, until they get that update they're relegated to the PS4 list \u2013 and of course many will have a spot on our list of the Top 100 Games of All Time.&#10;Most importantly, remember that this list is just our group\u2019s perspective and is no more \u201cright\u201d or \u201cwrong\u201d than a list that you create yourself. Speaking of which: if you have your own ranking you\u2019d like to put out into the world, we\u2019d like to invite you to make your own top 25 (or top 100!) list of PlayStation games using our Playlist tool and share it in the comments. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;The most recent updates were made on July 15, 2025\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">As reported by the Irish Mirror, European Commissioner for consumer protection, Michael McGrath, said the EU is unable to step in. &#8220;It does come down to commercial and contractual freedoms, and companies are free to offer games and services in the manner that they see fit, provided that consumer rights are fully protected in line with national and EU law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;At this time, we did have to consider a European citizens initiative on this question of whether games should continue to be available after a new edition of the game has been brought forward.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Part of the backlash around Sony\u2019s decision to kill discs has to do with ownership and preservation. Last month, the Stop Killing Games campaign suffered a setback when the European Commission said it was unable to propose a legal obligation to keep video games playable after they stop being provided commercially due to existing intellectual property rights. Under EU copyright law, the Commission said, rights holders enjoy exclusive rights over their creations.<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-video\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Commission pointed to existing EU consumer law, which forces video game publishers and developers to inform consumers about the duration and the conditions for terminating the contract before the consumers sign up for the video game. The Commission did, however, say it would talk with the games industry and consumer representatives to draw up an industry code of conduct on managing video games&#8217; &#8220;end of life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">With the EU out of the picture, will the online backlash be enough to force Sony into a U-turn? Not a chance, analysts have told IGN. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese game industry consultancy firm Kantan Games, suggested that even if half a million people cancelled their PlayStation Plus subscription in protest, it would be just a drop in the ocean for Sony \u2014 which is not going to change its mind.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;I sympathize with physical media fans, but Sony will not reverse this decision,&#8221; Toto told IGN. &#8220;They of course knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Sony has over 120 million active PlayStation users,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Around 50 million people subscribe to PlayStation Plus. As a thought experiment, let&#8217;s say 500,000 cancel in protest, that would be just 1% of that business gone \u2014 of course not enough to Sony to start rethinking. Digital is just too lucrative.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"poll-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For Sony, going all-digital for new game releases will earn it more money from every sale at a time when console sales are expected to plummet due to their rising cost. For a first-party PlayStation game such as The Last of Us, Sony will only keep around 65% of the money from a physical copy, with around 30% going to the retailer and roughly another 5% on manufacturing costs. Meanwhile, for a physical copy of a third-party game such as the Activision-published Call of Duty, Sony will get a licensing fee, likely around 15%.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For downloads, however, the margins are much higher. For a first-party game sold via Sony&#8217;s own PlayStation Store, the company obviously keeps 100% of the revenue. For third-party games such as Call of Duty, meanwhile, Sony keeps a 30% cut (so, roughly $21 for a $70 game).<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Overnight, Santa Monica Studio confirmed that God of War Laufey will &#8220;be available on disc,&#8221; suggesting its launch will arrive in 2027. Insomniac has also confirmed Marvel\u2019s Wolverine will be released on-disc.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/eu-says-its-powerless-to-stop-playstation-from-killing-discs-companies-are-free-to-offer-games-and-services-in-the-manner-they-see-fit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As gamers sign online petitions and swarm upon each and every PlayStation social media post, the EU has said it\u2019s powerless to actually stop Sony&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[25366,1529,4567,26353,1182],"class_list":["post-67910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-discs","tag-killing","tag-playstation","tag-powerless","tag-stop","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/67911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}