Sony to End Disc Production in 2028

Physical games are hanging on by a thread.

The video game industry is in a weird state right now. Just the thought of producing physical products seems to get everyone from Sony to Microsoft to Nintendo in a tizzy these days. Jacking up prices has been the go-to tactic of late, with Switch 2, XBOX Series, and PlayStation 5 all seeing price hikes. Now, however, we're starting to see a more aggressive move away from physical games altogether. First it was word that XBOX's Project Helix will not have a disc drive, and now? Sony is ending disc production.

The move is still a little ways away, but the end of discs for PlayStation fans is nigh. In an official blog post on the PlayStation website, Sony has announced that the company will be discontinuing the production of discs as of January 2028 as a result of "response to shifting trends in consumer preference." This likely means that when PlayStation 6 eventually launches it won't have a disc drive at all. With Valve's Steam Machine also being a download-only console, and Project Helix much the same, the last player in town with physical media will be Nintendo and its Switch 2.

Even that isn't a sure bet, however, as the proliferation of Game Key Cards makes "physical" games something of a joke when it comes to Switch 2. If you've yet to run afoul of these things, they're a box that comes with a download code for a game. The cartridge acts as a "key" that let's players access their game on the console. So, no game data is on the cart. Mostly third parties have been utilizing these, but Nintendo tested the waters with Pokémon Pokopia. That sold like hot cakes, but a lot of fans who made the purchase didn't understand the nature of Game Key Cards. As time passes and awareness grows, fans might not be so open to Game Key Cards when it comes to Zelda and Mario.

Returning to Sony, it's unclear how this will impact sales. Fans have been very vocal online about the move, for what that's worth, but online outrage doesn't always carry over to the real world. Sony is certainly already doing a lot of digital sales, so perhaps the transition to all digital won't be a big deal in the long run. However, as prices continue to skyrocket, including the price of the PlayStation family of consoles, Sony experienced its lowest sales in May since the year 2000. Could a halt to discs make things worse in a couple years? We'll all find out together.

Source: Blog.PlayStation