Reports suggest third-party games publishers and developers are privately furious with Sony over its decision to end disc-based PlayStation games by 2028, with the backlash reportedly growing louder following gamescom, the industry's first major event since the July announcement. Digital Foundry's John Linneman said he spoke to numerous developers and publishers at the Cologne event who were "largely very upset", noting many companies rely heavily on physical sales for revenue and warning the move could push some studios to focus more on Nintendo's Switch 2 instead.

Separate reporting, including from a source known as Nash Weedle, claims the criticism has already prompted Sony to consider changes to its communication and planning, with some third-party studios reportedly holding back from committing further to PlayStation for now. Linneman said the "industry side of things is not positive" and there is "a lot of resentment" towards Sony, though it remains unclear whether this discontent will translate into any concrete change. Sony is due to hold a State of Play presentation this Thursday, though the article's author is sceptical any update on the disc decision will be given.