Sony’s decision to cut physical media by 2028 has not been received well by the general public. Gamers are understandably furious about losing one of the most critical components of the gaming experience, while industry insiders are also apprehensive about how that move will ultimately pan out. In this chaos, some people have started looking into Sony’s financials and their digital-to-physical unit sales ratio.
A big trend online over the past few weeks has been comparing the prices of digital and physical media. There have been multiple reported instances of physical games being much cheaper than their digital counterparts, leading to speculation about price-fixing. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that Sony is putting an end to physical media so they can earn more from digital sales. However, former PlayStation executive Gordon Thornton disagrees.
In an interview with Insider Gaming, Thornton explained that Sony has no hand in setting prices for digital games. Instead, that power lies solely with the publisher; therefore, any allegations of price fixing are false.
“Regarding allegations of monopolization and price manipulation, PlayStation operates on a buy/sell model where the publisher acts as the supplier. Because the recommended retail price is set directly by the publisher, Sony does not control these pricing structures, which counters claims of unilateral price fixing.”
It is important to note that Gordon has been directly in control of the PlayStation Store over the past decade or so. He was the SVP overseeing PlayStation’s direct-to-consumer business, so his word carries a lot of weight when discussing digital game sales specifically.
Thornton goes on to back PlayStation’s move to digital-only media and says that the traditional gamer has made the jump from a truly offline experience to an online one. He also says that digital stores have frequent sales and promotions that benefit gamers more than whatever advantages physical games can provide.
“The reluctance to adopt digital gaming and the relevance of physical resellers have naturally diminished. In major markets like Western Europe and the US, traditional sofa gaming has moved online, with players connecting from their homes.
Furthermore, frequent digital sales and promotions have resulted in consumers waiting for the right digital price drop and purchasing a game for themselves. All of this makes digital appealing to players, more so than the general appeal physical provides, like disc-sharing.”
It is important to note that this is coming straight from a former PlayStation boss, so take it with a grain of salt. His siding with Sony’s new strategy is not a surprise, but his clarification about who sets the price provides important context to the story.
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[PC Hardware Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
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