Sony’s decision to move away from physical PlayStation game discs continues to dominate social media discussions, with many fans using the company’s official accounts to voice their frustration. Nearly every PlayStation post has been met with thousands of comments criticizing the decision, regardless of what the post is about. Official posts on X were even being community noted.

While the backlash initially appeared to be limited to the community, a new claim suggests it may now be affecting third-party publishers as well. According to YouTuber and leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID), some developers and publishers are becoming increasingly frustrated because the ongoing criticism is overshadowing their own game promotions.

Backlash disrupts advertisers paying to be on PlayStation’s social media

The claims were made during a recent episode of the Broken Silicon podcast, where the leaker said an anonymous game developer shared details about how PlayStation’s social media promotions work. According to the source, Sony typically provides one free promotional social media post for a major announcement, such as a game’s release or major update. However, developers and publishers can reportedly pay significant amounts of money for additional posts or preferred time slots.

“If there’s a specific time you want your PS tweet to drop, you often have to beg profusely or pay 10s of thousands of dollars to secure it dropping at an exact day or time. If this backlash happened when MY game was releaseing, I would demand a redo, or at least be very upset with Sony.”

Anonymous developer, via MLID

The concern, according to the anonymous source, is that these paid promotions are no longer getting the attention publishers expected. Instead of discussing the featured game, many users are filling the comment sections with criticism of Sony’s decision to phase out physical media. As a result, publishers are reportedly questioning whether paying for additional promotion on PlayStation’s social channels is worthwhile while the backlash continues.

The issue has also been highlighted publicly by at least one indie developer. Eat Pant Games recently shared that its team was excited to see its game’s trailer featured on PlayStation’s official YouTube channel. However, instead of generating discussion about the game itself, the comments quickly became dominated by complaints about PlayStation’s physical media plans. The studio also noted that many users disliked the video despite their frustration being directed at Sony rather than the game.

For now, the payment and slot info remains unconfirmed by Sony, and they are based on information shared by anonymous sources through Moore’s Law Is Dead. However, they highlight how prolonged community backlash can extend beyond the platform holder itself and potentially affect developers that have no involvement in the original controversy.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.