"Video games are not mere merchandise; they are cultural assets, and the law in force must apply to them" — French presidential candidate chimes in on Sony's controversial decision to kill off physical gaming media

A bearded, wavy‑haired character in a dark, gold‑trimmed outfit looks upward as rose petals float around him, while a PlayStation 5 case for Grand Theft Auto V appears on the right side of the image.

To say that Sony's decision to cease production of physical PlayStation game discs sparked controversy would be the understatement of the 2020s.

Almost every gamer under the sun is angry about this decision, and companies in and out of the video game industry have responded with satirical content mocking Sony.

However, this controversy has escalated so quickly that it's even garnered the attention of politicians such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon. This man, who is running for President of France, responded to this event, as well as Grand Theft Auto 6 being digital-only, by citing the dangers of gaming going digital-only with this (translated) proclamation:

"With GTA 6 without a disc in 2026 and Sony's announcement of the end of physical disc sales for games in 2028, the question arises of how we view these products. Tomorrow, you will pay without ever owning anything. No loan, no resale, no guarantee of keeping what we've paid for."

Avec GTA 6 sans disque en 2026 et l'annonce de Sony de la fin des ventes de disques physiques pour les jeux en 2028, la question de savoir comment on considère ces produits se pose.Demain, vous paierez sans jamais rien posséder. Ni prêt, ni revente, ni garantie de conserver ce…July 2, 2026

Jean-Luc Mélenchon then states that he is willing to support gamers' right to own the games they purchase by saying, "Video games are not mere merchandise; they are cultural assets, and the law in force must apply to them. We will open the project in 2027. Players have rights too!"

This isn't the first time Jean-Luc Mélenchon has stood up for video games, as, according to @L'insoumission on X, he described them as a "total art that breaks with previous forms of art" in 2022, and has been advocating for them since 2017.

🔴 Depuis 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon considère les jeux vidéo comme un sujet politique Contrairement à ce que prétendent certains commentateurs, Jean-Luc Mélenchon n’en est pas à sa première expression publique à propos des jeux vidéo.En 2022, il les qualifiait d’ « art total… pic.twitter.com/2pQquQVfBlJuly 3, 2026

With this controversy reaching mainstream attention, will games going purely digital in 2028 cause other politicians or even world leaders to chime in with their thoughts on the subject?

We surely won't have to wait long for further developments regarding one of the biggest shake-ups in recent gaming history.

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