Last week, PlayStation announced that it would end physical production of video game discs for new games in 2028. This made a lot of people angry, not just collectors and superfans. Now gamers who try to cancel their PlayStation Plus accounts in protest are being offered discounts to stay, discovering just how desperate Sony and other companies are to keep people hooked on subscriptions.
On July 1, Sony announced that starting January 2028, it would no longer make physical discs for new video games. In the days that followed, people on the internet have been yelling at PlayStation and Sony on every part of the web. The company has also been roasted by big names, like Trevor Noah, and brands like KFC and Domino’s Pizza. Some gamers, tired of Sony’s decision, have started canceling their PS Plus subscriptions and are now being offered a choice: abandon Sony to prove their point, or accept the devil’s pact and get a big discount on PS Plus.
“To protest against Sony’s switch to all-digital technology, I tried to cancel my subscription” » posted a PlayStation user on Reddit on Monday. “But they offered me a 50% discount. [deal] if I resubscribe. Haha.” They shared a screenshot of the PlayStation app with an offer from Sony for three months of PS Plus at half price. Others claimed to have received similar offers as they attempted to leave and boycott Sony. One user was offered 25% off a 12-month PS Plus subscription, despite having accepted an offer earlier in the year to extend their plan at a reduced rate. Others claimed the same scenario happened to them too.
“Same, but I didn’t take the bait,” one Reddit user responded. “I will not support Sony with a single cent until they reverse this fiasco.”
To be clear: it’s extremely unlikely that Sony pulled a switch in the background to try to keep users subscribed to PS Plus following its poorly received announcement of the death of physical discs. Instead, that’s exactly how companies desperate to maintain their subscriber numbers and cash flow tend to react when you try to leave.
In fact, I’ve already taken advantage of this “Do Not Cancel” discount with my PlayStation Plus account. And Sony isn’t the only one trying to keep people in suspense. Many apps and services have offered me great deals right before I’m about to quit if I just sign up for a few more months. I’ve used this tactic many times in the past to save a decent amount of money on subs I wanted to keep, but which were becoming too expensive.
However, for many, even a significant discount won’t be enough to win them back after Sony’s decision to end physical games and go digital. For these players, PlayStation will have to backtrack if it wants to win them back. Given what PlayStation tweeted after nearly a week of silence, this seems unlikely.