Sony’s recent decision to phase out physical PlayStation games has been met with plenty of controversy, but some analysts say that it is not going to reverse it anytime soon. Earlier this month, Sony announced that it will stop production of physical PlayStation disks in 2028, due to what it says are growing trends toward digital game downloads.
This news has sparked a massive backlash among PlayStation consumers and industry insiders alike. Many are concerned about game preservation, as it’s not unheard of for games to be removed from digital platforms for whatever reason. Others point out that some gamers rely on physical games being sold at discounted prices – especially when new releases are getting even more expensive.
Insider Says Sony Will Not Reverse Controversial Disk Phaseout
These angry gamers are making their dismay at Sony’s recent actions heard, with many cancelling their PlayStation Plus subscriptions in protest. However, Dr. Serkan Toto, who is CEO of Japanese game industry consultancy firm Kantan Games, says that Sony probably won’t backtrack on ending physical disk production even if more subscribers do this. When speaking to IGN, Toto noted that Sony has over 120 million active PlayStation users, with around 50 million people subscribing to PlayStation Plus.
He says that even if, hypothetically, 500,000 users canceled PS Plus, it would only amount to around a 1% loss of business – not nearly enough to convince Sony to reverse its controversial phaseout of physical game disks. “Digital is just too lucrative.”
Toto went on to state that Sony has a considerable financial incentive for ending production of physical PlayStation games, namely saving on manufacturing and distribution costs and not having to pay brick-and-mortar retailers a portion of sales for carrying disks. He also says that Sony “of course knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass.”
Although there is a point to be made about the increasing prevalence of digital gaming, the idea of PlayStation no longer offering its games on physical media is a bitter one for players for many valid reasons. Only time will tell how this will impact Sony’s gaming profits from 2028 onward, as well as the future of PlayStation consoles like the often-rumored PS6.
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