Sony's Disc Backlash Hijacks Marvel's Wolverine Trailer

The top comment on Marvel's Wolverine's brand new cinematic trailer isn't about Wolverine. It's not about the surprise villain reveal, or the Sabretooth cameo, or the brutal tone Insomniac Games is going for. It's about discs.

"You know who isn't the hero? The killer of physical," wrote YouTube commenter ErrantRob, racking up over 10,000 likes in less than a day to claim the number one spot beneath the "Ain't No Hero" trailer. Below that, another commenter quipped: "Wolverine was really getting PHYSICAL in this trailer, he has such a DISCtinct presence." You have to scroll past dozens of disc-related comments before finding anyone actually discussing the game. Sony's decision to end physical disc production in January 2028 has turned every PlayStation social media post into a protest wall, and now one of the company's biggest upcoming exclusives is caught in the blast radius.

I feel for Insomniac here,. The studio had nothing to do with Sony's disc announcement. It built what looks like a violent, character-driven action game starring one of Marvel's most beloved mutants, dropped a trailer that reveals Lady Deathstrike as a villain and gives Sabretooth his own yellow suit, and the conversation is entirely about corporate policy. Insomniac can't control this, and the irony is that Marvel's Wolverine is still getting a physical release when it launches on September 15. You can buy the disc. It exists. None of that matters to the comment sections.

Insomniac in the Crossfire

The trailer itself deserves better attention than it's getting. It's a cinematic montage showing Wolverine fighting across eras and locations, desperately clinging to a photograph of himself with what appears to be Jean Grey. Lady Deathstrike, the cyborg assassin with Adamantium claws who blames Wolverine for desecrating her father's legacy, destroys the photo and sends Logan into a rage. Sabretooth appears fighting alongside Wolverine in a matching yellow suit. According to Destructoid's coverage, the trailer is also playing before showings of The Odyssey in cinemas this weekend.

Fans have even weaponised the trailer's own imagery against Sony. Wolverine fighting to protect a physical photograph while Sony phases out physical media? Multiple commenters pointed out the irony. On X, the most-liked reply to Insomniac's post was a gif of a disc. The next was Hugh Jackman's Wolverine staring at a framed photo of Sony's famous game-trading skit from years past, as reported by Eurogamer.

This isn't an isolated incident. Sony's official X account went silent for a full week after the disc news broke. When it resurfaced to promote Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls and PowerWash Simulator, those posts got the same treatment. Every single PlayStation social channel has become a venue for the same protest, and it shows no sign of slowing down.

The backlash has legs beyond social media comments. Lawsuits have been filed. Politicians have proposed investigations. Former Sony boss Shawn Layden has publicly disagreed with the move. A PS Plus boycott is underway. As The Gamer reported, analysts have suggested Sony expects the PS6's rumoured $1,000 price tag to shrink the install base anyway, with the company choosing to focus on high-spending players rather than budget-conscious or disc-only customers. If that's the strategy, Sony has apparently decided the people flooding every trailer with disc complaints aren't the audience it's chasing.

I think Sony is probably right that the backlash won't reverse the decision. The company has reportedly already begun retooling facilities and retraining staff. Walking it back would be expensive and embarrassing. But there's a real cost to letting this fester, and Insomniac is paying it right now. Marvel's Wolverine releases in two months. Its marketing window is open. Every trailer, every screenshot, every social post between now and September 15 will have its comment section hijacked by people angry about something the developer never chose. Sony made a corporate decision and handed the bill to its studios.

What sticks with me is how self-defeating this is from Sony's perspective. The whole point of killing discs is to tighten control over the PlayStation ecosystem and push players toward digital purchases. But if the marketing for your flagship titles can't cut through the noise of your own controversy, you're undermining the very games that are supposed to sell those digital copies. Marvel's Wolverine reviews won't land for a while yet, but Insomniac's track record with Spider-Man suggests the game will be strong. Whether Sony lets it have its moment is another question, and right now, the answer looks like no.