Sony’s Plan to Kill Physical PlayStation Discs Faces Gamer Backlash
Sony has confirmed plans to phase out physical PlayStation disc sales by 2028, citing a shift toward digital-only consumer trends. The announcement has triggered a significant backlash from gamers, including a planned boycott and a petition with over 350,000 signatures.
Why it matters
This move represents a major shift in the gaming industry's business model, potentially impacting consumer ownership rights and the secondary market for physical media.
Gamers are planning a boycott called PSBlackout for the week of Aug. 23.
The future of gaming is going to be all digital, whether anyone likes it or not.
The age of the physical disc is ending on the Sony PlayStation. Despite backlash from gamers, the company intends to continue with its plans to end PlayStation disc sales as of January 2028.
“Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format,” Sony said in a PlayStation blog post on July 1 . The post said the change is driven by consumer trends and a general preference for digital media.
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