Sony reportedly issued its strictest-ever internal social media guidelines to staff at first-party studios following the huge backlash to its decision to end physical media for PlayStation. The claim comes from Alanah Pearce, a former Sony Santa Monica writer, who said the move suggests Sony fully anticipated the scale of public anger over the announcement and chose to press ahead regardless, since no amount of protest is expected to change the policy.

Sony announced on 1st July that physical disc production for all new PlayStation games, including third-party titles not published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, will end from January 2028, with releases becoming digital-only. Pearce said current and former employees told her these communication restrictions were the tightest they had ever seen on any topic, which she interpreted as evidence Sony knew the decision would cause a major PR problem before making it public. Sony said the shift reflected changing consumer preferences and a wider industry move away from physical media.