A Persona 5 fan “sent” Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino a delightfully on-brand gift via social media to express their feelings about the company’s decision to end all production of physical game discs.
As seen on X/Twitter, Nishino formally received a handmade “calling card” modeled after the one Persona 5‘s main crew, the Phantom Thieves, hand out to their targets before they strike. The red-and-black card is a near-perfect copy of the ones that appear in-game, complete with a scathing message written in cut-out letters.
“You seek to steal the freedom of choice from players by pushing a future where games exist only in the digital world,’ the message goes. “You believe ownership is unnecessary, and that memories can be locked behind licenses and servers. That distortion will not go unchallenged.”
What follows is what can only be described as a threat. “We will steal the Treasure that fuels your greed and return the power of choice to the players. We are coming. From,
The Phantom Thieves of Hearts”
The plot of Persona 5 follows a group of frustrated and disenfranchised teens who gain the power to enter the collective unconscious, known in-game as the Metaverse, and work to change the hearts of the wicked authority figures trashing society. They do this by infiltrating their target’s “Mind Palaces” and stealing their “Treasures,” embodiments of the motives driving their selfish actions.
I doubt the sender behind this card genuinely has plans to slip into Nishino’s mind and plunder the subconscious root of his company’s drive to chase the bottom line, but their choice to invoke Persona 5 against Nishino does send a pretty clear message.
The justifications behind the company’s decision have been laid bare, but the gaming community at large has made it clear that they at least want to have the option to physically own their games, and many of them are taking drastic action to make their voices heard.
Rebellion against corruption is baked into every strand of Persona 5‘s DNA, and this anonymous fan’s actions are a powerful display of the anger many in the gaming community and industry feel towards Sony right now. No one likes it when someone else decides their destiny, or that of their favorite pastime.
