Sony says it understands the emotional attachment many players have to physical games but has no plans to reverse its decision to end PlayStation game discs beginning in 2028.
Speaking during the company’s latest earnings call, executives said the move toward digital distribution was carefully considered and that Sony will “cautiously move this forward” despite ongoing protests from fans.
During the Q&A portion of its fiscal 2026 first-quarter earnings briefing, Sony CFO Lin Tao said the company recognizes why many players feel strongly about physical media but believes the industry’s long-term direction is overwhelmingly digital:
“There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content.”
Tao explained that Sony spent significant time evaluating the decision before announcing that production of PlayStation game discs would end in January 2028:
“We put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this… we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward.”
She also acknowledged the emotional connection many players have with physical games:
“Games are loved by many people. It’s a form of entertainment that’s connected to people’s fond memories in many cases. We understand those emotions… In the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore.”
The comments come after weeks of criticism from players, developers, retailers, and consumer advocates. A petition opposing Sony’s decision has attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures, while fan groups have organized online protests and proposed boycotts. Despite that response, Sony indicated the backlash has not changed its plans.
During the same earnings call, Sony was also asked how PlayStation hardware would continue to stand apart from gaming PCs if both platforms become fully digital.
Tao argued that physical discs are not what differentiates PlayStation from PC, pointing instead to the console’s curated ecosystem, stable gaming environment, and lower price compared to high-end gaming computers:
“We don’t feel that the disc is the factor to differentiate [PlayStation] from the PC… Compared to the high-end gaming PC, our product is more affordable. So we don’t feel that the disc itself is a strong factor for differentiation.”
She also addressed concerns from retailers, saying Sony intends to continue working closely with regional retail partners and noted that stores will still be able to sell boxed products containing digital download codes after disc production ends.
They still want to go with their new slogan of “Own nothing, and be happy.” I see.
I feel like they are trying to find a way to kill off their PlayStation line now if they really are going to do this.
All part of Video Game Crash 2.0 I bet.
Why would they? You clowns are setting record numbers of pre-orders for GTA6, a digital only game.
Act like a normal adult with self control and vote with your wallet, or STFU and go back to your parents basement.
Buy a gaming PC and play their games there.
In this economy?, Ain’t no one got $2000+ (At this point) to spend on a stupid PC when bills and things needed to live are more important.
Granted, even if I won the lottery I’d still not bother with PC gaming, I’d sooner invest in powerful, high storage tablets, lmao.
“We know it’s evil, and we will do it anyway.”
This is why God has appointed a day of Judgment.
Because Sony got the data, despite the outrage, and the DATA said people still suck up and consoom