Following Rockstar’s announcement that Grand Theft Auto VI will be a digital-only release, Sony has come forth with an even more ambitious plan to kill physical media forever. The company has announced that starting January 2028, production of physical disc games for new games will be ending for all games releasing on the PlayStation platforms.
In simpler terms, every game launching on PlayStation consoles after January 2028 will only be available digitally through the PlayStation Store or as a PlayStation Store code through other retailers. This applies to new games only, and not for games that are already out or will be releasing prior to January 2028.
The company cites consumer preferences and broader entertainment industry shifts as the reason for this decision. Sony claims most of its community prefers to purchase games digitally.
Physical media has been a selling point for game consoles since the very inception of the platform. Being able to purchase a game and simply sticking it into the console to play it has always been the driving factor for what made consoles so appealing.
However, it has also undeniably been a thorn in the side for game publishers and platform owners like Sony, because unlike digital codes, physical media can be shared, transferred, or resold. It’s not uncommon to share a game among friends, sell it off after playing it to recover some of the cost, or to purchase a used copy from someone else. Offline retailers could also choose to discount games as and when they pleased to drive sales. It kept the cost of the games low, and kept publishers and platform owners out of the loop after the initial purchase, something they obviously hated.
Aside from just being able to share it, physical media also allowed you to own your purchase. Own it truly, by being able to hold it in your hands, and having access to it forever without worrying about it disappearing from some online store. It also lets the media be played into perpetuity, so even if the game publisher, platform owner, or the platform itself goes away in the future, as long as you have a functioning console and a physical version of the game, you can always play it.
For years, publishers and platform owners have been trying to devalue the physical disc. First, by simply not launching the game on physical media whenever they could, or by providing an incomplete version on the disc, so you have to connect online to download the rest. At that point, you may as well purchase and download the whole thing online.
There have been several movements over the years to try and preserve physical media for games. It is well-known at this point that publishers and platform owners cannot be trusted to maintain ownership of purchased digital games, or preserve them for posterity.
Case in point, almost mockingly, alongside the news of discontinuing the physical games for current and future PlayStation platforms, Sony announced that it is discontinuing the PlayStation Store on the PS3 and the PS Vita starting this year. While downloads for existing purchases will still be allowed (only new purchases will be stopped), Sony has only offered a “for the foreseeable future” as a guarantee for how long that will be. That could be tomorrow, next month, next year, or five years from now. No one knows, and that’s the problem. This is why digital storefronts and purchases made from them cannot be trusted, as you never truly own anything and platform owners can always choose to (legally, might we add) yank them from your library, shut the store down, or simply shut itself down.
Unfortunately, the average buyer has spoken with their wallet. Sony isn’t lying about that; most people these days prefer to purchase their media online. PC players have been doing it for decades now, as companies realized long ago you cannot offer physical media on that platform without it getting immediately copied and pirated. Of course, as we all know, that immediately killed piracy on PC, and no game has ever been illegally distributed since. But getting back to consoles, things are a bit different. You only have the respective platform owners distributing the games for their respective platforms. This means there is very little incentive to offer deep discounts, and with physical media gone, there is also no worry of people simply getting a used copy from eBay or from a friend.
Long story short, physical media is dying, at least for games. Sony might be the first to ring the death knell, but you can be sure the next Microsoft and Nintendo consoles aren’t going to offer physical media options, either. Get ready to pay for everything, and own nothing.