PlayStation has begun disabling comments on certain YouTube videos, a move that appears to be a direct response to ongoing player outcry over the company's decision to cease manufacturing physical discs by 2028. This tactic was first observed on the trailer for Instant Sports 2, a party game now available on PlayStation 5. The decision to remove the comments section seems intended to prevent the usual wave of pro-disc sentiments that have been flooding PlayStation's YouTube channel.
Since the announcement of the discontinuation of physical disc manufacturing, players have voiced their strong opposition across various PlayStation platforms, including social media, the PlayStation Blog, and YouTube. Even trailers for major updates, such as Fortnite's, and smaller titles like Pro Jank Footy, have been inundated with comments supporting physical media. The disabling of comments on the Instant Sports 2 trailer suggests a proactive measure to avoid specific heat directed at that particular game or its release.
It remains unclear whether the decision to disable comments was a unilateral choice by PlayStation's YouTube channel management or a request made by the game's developers. In the time since the Instant Sports 2 trailer's comments were disabled, a video for an upcoming update to Infinity Nikki has been released with comments enabled, indicating that the measure might be game-specific or a trial run. This approach aims to allow developers to release their games without facing immediate backlash in their promotional materials.