PlayStation Now Targeted By Anonymous Over All-Digital Future

Published Jul 28, 2026, 5:57 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 2,500 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, got context around some AI drama, and revealed how Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on more than one occasion. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. The heat on PlayStation is now rumbling into its fourth week. At the start of this month, Sony announced it had plans to end the production of physical software for PlayStation starting in 2028. This led to rumors that the PS6 would launch then, alongside severe backlash from loyal PlayStation fans. The announcement sparked thousands upon thousands of social media comments, protests, petitions, new bill proposals, and class-action lawsuits. Sony has yet to say anything more, sweeping it under the rug, with its employees reportedly under the "strictest" social media guidelines. This has further deepened the rift with its audience. Former PlayStation execs are just some of the high-profile figures opposing this move, and now another has surfaced. Hacking group Anonymous has had its say on the matter, suggesting that this decision "moves power away from the person paying." Anonymous Speaks Out About PlayStation's Decision To Go All Digital Anonymous' lengthy message is a frank one. It's one of the most informative summaries of PlayStation's decision, giving readers all the details they need to know about its switch to digital-only, and it remains impartial throughout much of the message. It breaks down exactly what Sony announced, why you won't be "buying" things anymore, real-world instances where this has proven negative, and why it really matters. Following its information, Anonymous details what players can do to push back. While it feels nothing will "force a giant company to keep making discs," there are "concrete steps to protect you." "Buy physical while you still can," it starts. "If owning a game outright matters to you, the disc is still the most reliable way to do it. So is keeping a console that has a disc drive." The group also recommends that players "download and back up what you own now" and "read what 'buy' means before you click." Anonymous' most staunch warning comes at the end of its statement. "The shift to digital is being sold to you as pure convenience, and the convenience is real. But the receipt was always in the terms. When you buy a digital game, you are renting access on the company's terms, and starting in 2028, on PlayStation, the simple alternative of owning a disc goes away for new games," it reads. "The people who understand that, and who act on it now, are the ones who will still be able to play what they paid for, no matter what happens to a company's servers, its licensing deals, or its business. "With the disc, you were buying something real. Once it is gone, you are only renting access. It is worth knowing that before the choice to own one is gone." While Anonymous, who is synonymous with political activism, has made no threats against Sony, the timing of the message is interesting. This statement came days after an unplanned PlayStation Network outage. In no way are we suggesting they're linked; it's just funny timing. Brand Sony Original Release Date November 12, 2020 Original MSRP (USD) $499, €499, £449, ¥49,980 (Base) // $399, €399, £359, ¥39,980 (Digital), Operating System Orbis OS Processor Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 Resolution 720p - 8K