"I wish physical media was here to stay": As Sony reports 82% digital PlayStation sales, ex-Blizzard boss says "the purchasing trend from consumers is clear"

I still have an original PC copy of the 1996 action-RPG Diablo holding down the fort in my home office, but today it's a stark reminder of how much has changed in the 30 years since it came out. Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who left the company in 2024, says the trend toward digital games is clearer than ever thanks to fresh data from Sony on PlayStation game sales, even if he wishes we could keep buying games on disc forever.

Reacting to PlayStation's Q1 FY26 results, which show 82% of the company's game sales are now digital, Ybarra says he's surprised discless games are dominating physical media to that extent. For reference, reputable games analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners has said Xbox's digital ratio is over 90%, while Capcom is expecting 95% digital sales by next year.

"82% of games purchased are digital? Wow, that's very high. I recall when I was in the business, we passed by 50% which was a huge milestone," Ybarra shares.

"I wish physical media was here to stay, but the purchasing trend from consumers is clear. I really hope we see a digital promise of trust, transparency, and clarity soon (across all media!)."

That isn't the first time Ybarra has called for some sort of system to guarantee permanent ownership of a digital purchase, having previously expressed his desire for a "digital promise" to ensure gamers don't have to worry whether "games will work in the future or not," as well as a second-hand marketplace for people to sell and trade digital games.

Ybarra's outspoken and frequently controversial views on the industry aside, this pretty much sums up how most financially disinterested feel about the situation with PlayStation killing discs in 2028 and the industry's broader shift toward digital-only games. Calling back to my opener about Diablo on PC, it's worth noting that disc drives haven't been standard in mainstream gaming PCs for more than a decade.

Even if it means bad news for pretty much everyone, a largely discless future, in which physical games are reduced to novelties and limited releases, has seemed inevitable for a while. At least we know one high-profile games industry exec is mourning along with us when he isn't rage-baiting World of Warcraft players.

PlayStation ditching physical games is "a bridge across the bad years" of high hardware costs, analyst says, but it means "casuals and youngsters will drift off to mobile, PC, and free-to-play even faster"