- Sony is abandoning disc production for first-party games in 2028.
- This means that PlayStation 6 games won’t be on physical media.
- However, third-party games may still be available on disc, as reports suggest PlayStation 6 will have a separate disc attachment akin to the PlayStation 5 Slim.
The era of physical games may soon come to an end, as one of the biggest players in the gaming space, Sony, has announced it will no longer produce discs for first-party PlayStation games starting in 2028.
Why it matters: Recent developments have shown that digital purchases of video games no longer constitute true ownership; only physical media does. Sony, being one of the biggest game producers, abandoning physical media production signals that other producers will also follow suit till physical game media completely vanishes.
In their blog post today, Sony confirmed that it’s abandoning physical discs for its first-party games starting in 2028, and that future PlayStation games will be sold digitally.
As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028.
A reason for this decision wasn’t stated, but it’s speculated to be the additional costs associated with producing discs, and considering how big modern AAA games are, they no longer fit on a single disc.
The gaming giant also highlighted the shift in consumer preference from physical to digital media, even though the reality is quite the opposite.
With GTA 6’s pre-orders starting, a lot of people left GameStop empty-handed after finding that GTA 6’s physical copy doesn’t include a disc. Moreover, the aforementioned ownership debacle persists, and companies like Ubisoft have highlighted in their EULAs that game purchases only provide a license, not full ownership.
As for why Sony would stop production in 2028, it may be due to the PlayStation 6 being expected to debut that year and, according to earlier reports, being a digital console with a disc drive sold separately.
Discs for PlayStation 6 aren’t being abandoned altogether; Sony is just abandoning them for first-party games, and third-party games may still appear as discs for the platform.
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[Staff Writer]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheerzahid03@gmail.com
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