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Sony is currently digging their own grave. They are desperately hoping that all their detractors lay down, die, and accept the death of physical media to embrace a dystopian all digital future, one that's not half as cool as the Matrix. After revealing their latest super villain plot to destroy all physical games in the galaxy, Sony is now dealing with one of the largest and most welldeserved VR dumpster fires. Man, you'd have better luck finding Bigfoot than someone willing to unironically defend this company anymore. It's been a few weeks since Sony's bizarre sepuku attempt. And every day since July 1st, they have been relentlessly mauled, mocked, made fun of, and ratioed across all social media.
Seeing such a strong reaction from the gaming community, you know, it gave me hope that we could make a change because everyone hated that what Sony did and nobody is on their side. Nobody, right? Wrong. Sony actually responded to us. Not officially, of course, and I can't be 100% certain, but they obviously don't respect their fans enough to communicate with them. I mean, they just come out and said that this shit's crazy. La, I'm not owned. Call it a hunch, but it seems like Sony has outsourced their PR department into the hands of the people that gamers trust more than anyone else, game journalists.
The way he leaps off of rooftops and flips backwards to face the camera before falling into a headfirst dive is just full of the exaggerated swagger of a black. As I said in the last video, Sony's position is indefensible, which is why they didn't provide any justification for it. And even now, like what I've seen amongst some of the game journalism is like it's hard to call it a defense, but this is the best counterargument we got. So, we got to talk about it. The only arguments I've seen in Sony's defense have come from those inside the industry. And YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead has proposed a compelling theory that Sony has also deployed a small contingent of bots. I mean I mean clankers and like the B1 battle droid
and they really are pretty useless. A company as big as Sony is more than capable of launching its own misinformation campaign and it seems some game journalists have fallen for it. Though to be fair, although I'm going to be criticizing companies like IGN, Eurogamer, Kotaku, and Polygon because they've all come out and said, "Leave alone the multibillion dollar company." Most, if not all, of these outlets have also posted articles criticizing Sony and their decision. It's honestly one of the most baffling corporate failures to read The Room since Microsoft handed Don Matrick a microphone and allowed him to discuss
how the Xbox One probably wasn't going to suit someone serving on a nuclear submarine. So, this isn't black and white, right? Not all game journalists are siding with Sony. But what I'm about to show you, well, you decide. Amid the backlash to Sony's decision, just seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 copies in the US so far this year. Only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100K physical copies this year in the US. Did you know only seven PlayStation games have managed more than 100,000 physical sales in the US this year? Only two PlayStation games have managed more than 10,000 physical sales
in the US during the week ending on July 11th. Okay, stop. Why does this sound like one of those nonsense statistics thrown on the screen during an NFL football game? Like, Marshon Lynch has rushed for more yards during the third quarter on Thursday Night Football in the second week of December than any other kicker has in the last two days. I don't know about you, but I like my SCOPS a little less obvious. I prefer if you shatter the puzzle and then let me put the pieces together as opposed to just being like, "Yeah, this is how I'm trying to trick you." So why are these specific statistics being highlighted by multiple outlets? Coincidence? But as one trained in the force, you know that true coincidences are
rare. Well, it's because these two points of data are the crux underpinning the entire argument that globally PlayStation needs to abandon physical games and that medium should die globally. And as Eurogamer points out, while this is focused on the US, it is one of the largest in the video game industry by revenue spent. As such, consumer trends there have considerable influence. Correct me if I'm wrong. I think I'm picking up what you're laying down. Basically, you're saying the whole world shouldn't be allowed to own games that they purchase and that physical media deserves to die because Americans are fat and lazy and unwilling to drive to GameStop.
Interesting angle. I'm not disagreeing with that last part, but it's like it's because the digital market in the US doesn't sell as well that we're going to shut down every all other markets. Okay, that's the argument and that's what this data supports. Interesting. Now, I'm not oblivious to the irony that someone from Europe wrote an article embracing and emulating one of our most honored stereotypes. Yes, as Americans, we too often forget that there are other countries on planet Earth. We got 50 states, man. And some of us can't even name all of them. Look, I've seen tons of tweets and articles saying the same [__] Only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 physical copies in this part of
the world so far this year. There are five qualifying modifiers to this statistic. The more qualifying statements or modifiers you have for a statistic, the more narrow its applicability becomes. Right? What they're referencing is a study for why digital games should be shut down in the US. What's not included is why it has to 121 other countries, 62% of the globe, just to give you the percentage. The data they're referencing does not support the conclusion that they're reaching. Halo reaching. And the data they are presenting is an omission by lie. as Twitter community notes has been ruthlessly informing people of on basically every single tweet PlayStation has been posting. Physical games is a global problem.
It's not isolated in the United States, despite what this European gaming news outlet thinks. So, how about I give you one statistic that these articles all conveniently left out. Based on PlayStation's own metrics, in 2025 they sold an estimated 60 to 70 million physical copies of their games across the world and they have stated that physical sales represent about 20% of their revenue. Can someone explain the business logic of that? It's like, you know, business is going great. Let's shut down a fifth of it. Yet, despite how little this data actually says, some journalists are running with it. PlayStation fans are still furious about physical discs, but the data proves Sony is right to kill
them. Polygod, what the [__] man? Sony's planned shift away from producing physical discs for PlayStation might be unpopular, but new sales data has highlighted the stark business reality behind it. The stark business reality, you know, the data proves Sodia's right to kill them. Like think about what they're saying. It's like I just think of some like bread company CEO sitting there like man we're just not selling nearly as many cross songs in Spain as we are in France. So let's shut down our business in France. So I'm not sure what Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon or any of these other outlets are trying to prove. I'm so confused uh by their messaging that it's like we can just completely disregard this argument. It doesn't mean
anything. But there's one thing I keep hearing around the block that really bothers me. It's the idea that Sony will not back down. There's a 0% chance they'll reverse course. Analysts have insisted that there is zero chance Sony will change its mind. Sony has no inclination to concede any ground to this uproar. Industry experts pour out the smart business sense behind this decision. It remains unlikely that Sony will you turn on this. A grand reversal of Sony's plans is exceedingly unlikely. I won't change my mind cuz I don't have to. I won't change my mind on anything regardless of the facts that are set out
before me. I'm dug in and I'll never [clears throat] change. Now, these articles aren't necessarily siding with Sony. They're just pointing out what Sony wants you to believe. That resistance is futile. But I find it odd that this statement is not followed by and here's why they're wrong. That's missing. If you're wondering why game journalist has become a porative slur and insult, this is why. It's because some of these journalists and outlets seem to have forgotten that they're supposed to advocate for the customer. And yet so often they instead try to minimize the real issues. But me personally, you know, and you can call me part of the problem, I actually prefer having digital games. Sony isn't
even trying to convince us that the end of physical media is somehow a good thing. They simply want you to believe that it's inevitable. That is the sound of inevitability. I mean, how could they convince us this is a good thing where they put out a companywide gag order? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Things are going great at Sony. Oh, what's that? The Dutch have filed a $500 million lawsuit. No big deal. Both Sony and presumably some game journalists are trying to sew the seeds of doubt and defeatism in your mind. Do not water
those weeds. That's the real message. The end of physical media is inevitable and that we can't fight nothing. Sony is trying to act like they couldn't give two shits about our voices, boycots, petitions, protests, or lawsuits. None of that will change anything. Now, this is the tactic known as suppression. It's used when a fire is too big and can't realistically be put out. So, what they're trying to do is suppress the fire and make it smaller and then hope it dies on its own. If we ignore the elephant in the room, it'll starve and die on its own. But that's our cue that we need to add more fuel. We got to keep this fire lit like our homeboy Gwyn, let me tell you. I don't know,
man. After reading some of this, I'm starting to feel hopeless. Maybe they're right. Sony is a stubborn company and when they make a decision, they don't reverse it. And now Sony has reversed this decision and will be keeping the PlayStation store operational for PS3 and PS VA devices. Hold up. They actually tried shutting down those stores 6 years ago. The same ones they just took offline a week ago. I Oh [__] Oh yeah, you weren't supposed to see that. Okay, you got me. Maybe Sony has uh responded to our feedback once. But what did that backlash even accomplish? It only delayed the closure of the PS3 and VA stores for what? 5 6 7
years. And what does it really matter if one or two storefronts avoided closure and managed to stay in business for another 5 years? That's that's only half a decade. What's a decade? Just onetenth of a century. But a century is just 10% of a millennium. So you see that backlash didn't actually accomplish anything is what I'm telling myself, right? So okay, besides that one time which didn't matter. Sony has never reversed a major decision like this. Following a major backlash from the Hell Divers 2 community, Sony has reversed its decision to require PC players to link a PSN account. I'm starting I'm starting to think that maybe the gaming community has a long documented history of successful petitions and protests. Okay, I forgot
about that. But yeah, yeah, okay. Maybe with enough pressure, Sony has backed down. But not this time. They are so confident that they don't even care if you cancel your PlayStation Plus subscription. And now players are canceling their PlayStation Plus subscriptions and mass to send a message. But experts claim it won't do any good. Oh, the doubting. Yeah, take that. How's that feel? I mean, how naive are you? Did you honestly think that there has ever been a widespread coordinated boycott that actually accomplished something? Look at Xbox. They're like 10 times bigger than Sony. They just jacked up the price of Game Pass to 30 bucks a month. And 30 bucks a month is where that price is going to stay.
Microsoft has finally dropped the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscription plan. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, its top tier plan, is now $22.99 a month. You know what? Screw pessimistic nihilism. I'm a delusional optimist now. We can beat this thing. And even if we can't, what have we got to lose? What was that phrase people kept saying two years ago during the Hell Divers 2 fiasco? We dive together or not at all. Say no to Sony. Those words helped us all manage democracy. Goes to war with a billiondoll company wins. We've beaten both Sony and Microsoft before. Now granted, Microsoft's wounds to Xbox were
mostly self-inflicted, but our mass boycott and cancellation of Game Pass made Xbox and Microsoft bleed. If it bleeds, we can kill it. Every movement needs a catchy slogan. And two years later, we have our winner. No disc, no buy. We dive together or not at all. Everyone fights, no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll shoot you. Did you know that 62% of the globe or 121 countries are unable to create PSN accounts? meaning they cannot access or buy any games from Sony or PlayStation
in this all digital future. I'm getting deja vu here. Does that number sound familiar? 121 countries. Oh, it's because Sony tried this same thing just 2 years ago. But instead of trying to block one game, now they want to block every PlayStation game. And this list of 121 countries is the exact same list that they were trying to block Hell Divers 2 in. Not a single one has changed. So I have several questions, Sony. What is your beef with Madagascar? Is there some grudge you hold against Turk Menistan? Why? I find it hard to believe that Vietnam traumatized you in some way. Look, the point is not even game journalists can figure out a convincing way to spin this horrible idea. Well, would you look at that?
Attention gamers. Sony's PlayStation Network is currently experiencing a major outage, rendering thousands of digital games unplayable. This all digital future seems really convenient, doesn't it? As much as I hate DDoSing, it does illustrate a massive flaw in the system, right? If Sony isn't the one shutting off access to your own games or movies, then some random person can do it, too. Isn't that a comforting thought? On a structural level, neither Sony or Microsoft seem capable of supporting an all digital future because even Xbox's servers went down recently. So, even more reason to oppose this idea, as if
we needed more reasons. We have all the reasons in the world to hate this. But Sony just can't stop there. You see, they have a new patent, a controller with digital buttons, because a very strange patent was found, a design document about the PlayStation 6 controller, and it doesn't have buttons. The cast of Monty Python is running this company. They don't even want us to own buttons. Do they think people are going to get bored of hating on Sony? Bro, I'm watching this train wreck every day. Now, Alana Pierce came out with a very good video revealing some very important intel. Now, there is one single thing I disagree with her on. But today, let's specifically talk about PlayStation and why they just did something that
everyone hates that they knew we would all hate. The enormous public backlash that has come from that and why none of that backlash, no amount of public outrage or petitioning will be able to change it. I may not agree with your theory, but I am intrigued by it. Even if you're someone who genuinely believes that none of our efforts can change Sony's mind, aren't you curious if it will? I mean, how many rubber bands does it take to snap their watermelon? Don't you want to find out? Um, oops. El Divers 2 trained us for this moment. I think we should all collectively push against this in all the various ways that we can. Let's test this theory to its absolute limits. Folks, we have a
year and a half to see how deep Sony is willing to dig their own grave. And the morally correct thing to do is to dunk on them every single opportunity you have. So, I really just wanted to address this idea that everything is hopeless. Give up and just, you know, just let Sony have their way with you, right? Cuz I think that's [__] we were able to force EA of all companies to abandon a loot box monetization system. That doesn't even sound like it's true. Now, I'm genuinely passionate about this fight for physical ownership, and I don't plan on just leaving it at this video. I'm going to try and periodically post stuff on my second channel, ActMan TV, and I have a little a little strategy guide for how
we can fight back against Sony that I plan to upload there. As I said before, Sony's position is indefensible. The these few game journalists referenced one obscure study originating from Blue Sky, and it doesn't prove anything other than maybe there's an argument that they could shut down physical games in the United States. But that argument is not applicable to the rest of the [__] planet. Okay? So, there still is no real argument in favor of destroying and shutting down all of the physical production of games that Sony has historically done for the last uh two and a half decades, right? We're still back to square one looking for an actual explanation as to why this is happening. Now, until that day comes
when Sony unplugs their ears and says, "Here's why we're doing this." All we can assume is that this is done purely out of greed and to [__] all of us over. I should point out that analyst IGN and other outlets are quoting is Dr. Certin Toto, CEO of Japanese game industry consulting firm Canton Games. And he suggested that even if half a million people cancelled their PS+ subscriptions in protest, it would be just a drop in the ocean for Sony. Just give up, guys. Your efforts are fruitless. You know, they've already recovered from the $400 million Concord blunder. I mean, they can take more financial hits. They don't care about those. And whatever happened with
Bungie, that's cool, too. And if half a million of you want to unsubscribe, Sony couldn't give a [__] That's the message. That's horrible. Now, there is a great investigation on this independent analyst and others from Reddit user I Revenant. I'll link it in the description, but to quote his conclusion, the strongest honest case for going all digital is manufacturing savings and e-waste reduction. Sony is barely making that case, likely because they're lobbying against those exact environmental regulations in the EU. Instead, they're leaning on financial consultants to launder the story through the gaming press as consumer preference. Have you ever come
up with a theory in your head and then you find someone else saying the exact same thing? You're like, "Okay, maybe I am on to something. I'm not crazy." So, the point is there's a high chance this consulting firm who released this data has financial incentives tied to Sony's killing of the disc drive. It would be beneficial for them if that does happen, which would be a massive conflict of interest and reason alone to completely discard this logic. So, we're back to square one. They have not proposed a real argument. But there you have it. Sony's official response channeled through the voices of a few game journalists and it is just as laughable as if they had made no statement at all. I hope everyone who
watches this continues the fight uh for video game ownership and whatever meaningful ways you can contribute. But what do you think? Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. Like the video if you enjoyed it and subscribe to the ActMan for more awesome content. All right, everyone. That's all I got for today. This is the ActMan signing out. Peace.
