Sony’s PlayStation disc decision threatens a $7 billion resale market
Sony has announced it will cease physical disc production for new PlayStation games starting in 2028, shifting to a digital-only model. This move eliminates the resale and lending market for physical media, drawing criticism for reducing consumer ownership and optionality.
Why it matters
This shift marks a significant transition in the gaming industry toward digital-only ecosystems, potentially setting a precedent that permanently removes consumer rights to resell or trade physical media.
In June 2013, Sony 's PlayStation put out a short video demonstrating how easy it was to share games on PlayStation.
Then-Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida handed a disc to colleague Adam Boyes, and that was it. But it was viewed as more than just a simple instruction, it was seen as a dig at rival Microsoft Xbox's strict game-sharing policies.
"Trade in the game at retail. Sell it to another person. Lend it to a friend, or keep it forever," then-President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America Jack Tretton said at a conference that same year. "When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have the rights to use that copy of the game."
The line sparked a standing ovation and helped intensify the backlash that led Xbox to roll back its restrictive policies.
Now, in the eyes of some, Sony is becoming the very villain it mocked.
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