Sony Rolls Out New Customer Harassment Policy After Physical Disc Controversy Sparks Backlash
Sony Japan has introduced a new customer harassment policy following widespread backlash toward its decision to stop producing physical game discs starting January 2028.
Sony Japan published this policy on its official website on September 1, 2026, where it outlined several examples of harassment and urged customers to honor its behavioral guidelines.
“Our company strives to provide honest service so that our customers can use our products and services with peace of mind, and we value customer feedback to improve our services,” it wrote. “On the other hand, the dignity and safety of our employees must not be threatened by customer harassment, such as words or demands from customers that exceed what is considered reasonable according to social norms.”
Sony went on to say that it takes a “firm stance” against such behavior, which includes examples like “persistent and repeated, or prolonged, demands, excessive or unreasonable demands for compensation or apologies, and abusive language, threats, slander, and other similar behaviors.”
Other examples included “forcing someone to prostrate themselves” and “visiting our offices or related facilities without permission.” If any such behavior is confirmed, Sony says it may “restrict or suspend customer service” to protect its employees — and, if necessary, contact “police, lawyers, etc.” to take legal action or begin criminal proceedings against them.
Sony is one of several Japanese companies implementing such measures to protect their employees. In October 2025, a new law was enacted that required employers across the country to take action to prevent harassment toward their workers by customers. As told by Uni Global Union, this marked a massive shift in Japan's workplace culture, pivoting from a “customer is always right” mentality to a focus on worker protections.
Sony's policy hasn’t come out of the blue; the company has borne the brunt of backlash from angry players following its decision to stop making physical game discs, along with its divisive response to an ongoing lawsuit as a result of this strategy.
In August, Sony responded to a class action lawsuit that accused it of failing to clearly state that players are merely purchasing a revocable license when they buy a game on its digital store, arguing that “in the digital age, it is not plausible to allege that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining ‘ownership’ of a digital game.”
A Dutch consumer group and the Stop Killing Games movement have also banded together to sue Sony, alleging that the company charged Dutch customers more on its digital store than buyers located elsewhere in the world.
The PlayStation store is at the center of another lawsuit against Sony in Mexico, where lawmakers argue that the company is engaging in “anti-competitive practices” by limiting purchases to its digital storefront, crippling competition from other games retailers.
Sony, for its part, is continuing to pursue an all-digital future, with chief financial officer Lin Tao saying it will "cautiously move this forward" with its plan to kill off game discs despite “strong views” from players.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.