Sony to Discontinue Physical Video Game Discs in 2028
You will own nothing and you will like it.
Earlier today, Sony announced via its PlayStation blog that they will discontinue production of physical discs for video games beginning in January 2028.
In a statement, Sony cites the broader market’s move away from physical game discs. While it’s broadly true that the majority of the market for games and other media have shifted toward digital-only products, the last three years have seen a spike in physical media sales, as consumers have become acutely aware of the limitations of digital marketplaces where “buying” something really means purchasing a license to use it for as long as the platform wants.
Last month, Sony announced that they will be purging movies owned by StudioCanal from the libraries of its users. That means if you have purchased any of 551 movies including Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Pan’s Labyrinth from the Playstation Store, you will lose access on September 1 and will be given no refunds.
Today’s announcement also comes on the heels of Rockstar’s recent announcement that “physical copies” of the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto VI will not actually include physical discs, but a digital redemption code housed inside of a case you can put on the shelf.
In its statement, Sony says that “We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store.” It’s hard to square that bit about retailers with reality, though. This feels like a potential killing blow for gaming-specialty retailers like GameStop, and it would not be surprising to see those companies significantly reducing their Sony products well in advance of 2028, both to punish Sony and to prepare themselves for what’s coming.
That Sony is at least paying lip service to caring about retailers suggests that more physical releases like GTA6 — empty boxes with download codes, sold via brick and mortar retailers — are likely coming. That said, it’s unlikely those kinds of products will sell especially well. They would presumably be more expensive than a standard download, since the overhead cost of manufacturing and distribution, as well as a share of the profits for the retailer, would be baked in.
The move away from physical media is partially consumer driven, in the sense that many people would rather stream their movies and games than have to go somewhere to buy a disc. It’s also extremely hostile to consumers, as it means the concept of ownership itself becomes a thing of the past. Increasingly, media from movies and TV shows to games and audiobooks are being released as platform exclusives which can only be accessed via a monthly subscription that the user has to pay for indefinitely.
This news is also likely to serve as an alarm bell for cinephiles, since Sony manufactures and distributes DVDs and Blu-rays for their own movies, as well as Disney. For years, Sony has seemed like a safe haven for physical media because they make money manufacturing DVD and Blu-ray hardware, and included disc drives in their gaming hardware. If Sony gives up making physical media of its own (and presumably Disney’s), it’s an open question whether they would contract that responsibility out to someone else or simply stop releasing movies on disc altogether.
