Just earlier this month, Sony announced without warning that PlayStation will completely stop producing physical game discs starting in January 2028, which means that games on PS5 after that will only be available in digital versions. As for the next generation of PS6, it will be fully digital. It is conceivable that this policy caused a huge backlash among players. However, in addition to completely killing the second-hand market and subsequent preservation, countries that do not support the PlayStation Mall will face serious impacts.
Currently, a total of 121 countries around the world do not support PlayStation Network services, which means that players from these countries cannot purchase or download digital games through the PlayStation Store. Therefore, these players will not be able to play any new games launched on the PS5 console after the physical games are discontinued in 2028.
A player from Georgia recently posted on the Reddit forum complaining about the major problems that Sony’s new policy will cause. He said that because the country still does not support the PlayStation Store, if Sony’s online services do not enter Georgia before 2028, he and local players will no longer be able to play new PS5 games.
What’s even more disturbing is that after player statistics, it was found that 62% of countries around the world will not be able to purchase or play new games launched after 2028 on the PlayStation platform because of Sony’s policy. However, some players also left comments below the post, saying that there are actually some “alternatives” circulating in countries that do not support PSN.
there’s no playstation store in georgia, which will make georgians unable to buy videogames after 2028.
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For example, they can still register a PSN account in a neighboring country, match it with PayPal in that region, or use virtual gift cards to top up. However, these are all unofficial workarounds and may even run the risk of violating Sony’s User License Agreement and may result in suspension.
Therefore, the best-case scenario is that Sony has already prepared supporting measures and will expand PSN services to these 121 countries before January 2028, so that all players can fairly welcome PlayStation’s move to digitalization.
Just after “Battlefield 2” was launched in 2024, players in many countries were unable to play this popular game because they were unable to use PSN services. At that time, some players compiled an “unsupported country list”, which included Estonia, Jamaica, Kenya, Pakistan, Vietnam, Georgia, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela. But regrettably, even after two years, this list has not changed at all.
In addition to this new policy causing a backlash among players, some governments or non-profit organizations now seem to have begun planning to use legal means to provide checks and balances. For example, a Dutch nonprofit just recently filed a $450 million lawsuit against Sony, while Mexican congressmen plan to file an antitrust complaint against the company. However, the EU has reluctantly stated that they currently have no power to prevent Sony and other game developers from phasing out physical discs.
Source: KOCPC Chinese