Yet another shockwave's been sent through the industry, as starting in 2028, Sony will no longer be producing physical discs for new PlayStation games. This is not going down well with many, including plenty of developers and publishers, who are crestfallen about not getting to see their projects transition from being purely digital on the platform.
"As a company on a mission to preserve video games, we are deeply saddened by the recent news from PlayStation on ending physical disc production from 2028," indie publisher Lost in Cult says in a statement. "We aim to do everything in our power to preserve video games to the best of our ability and will continue to do so for as long as we can."
This is an increasingly common sentiment, as creatives reflect on what this means for the medium, and their plans for putting their games on PlayStation 5 and the prospective PlayStation 6. "Extremely sad to think I'll never release another physical game for PlayStation," Billy Basso, the developer of Animal Well, says on Twitter.
As a company on a mission to preserve video games, we are deeply saddened by the recent news from PlayStation on ending physical disc production from 2028. We aim to do everything in our power to preserve video games to the best of our ability and will continue to do so for as…July 1, 2026
"Releasing the physical versions of Animal Well was a huge motivator all throughout development," he says. "It really kills my desire to develop for the platform. I'm hoping they reverse this decision."
Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios, calls the decision "genuinely heartbreaking," and says the Baldur's Gate 3 physical edition was "both my pride AND quite literally joy." He notes that putting together the special disc run of the RPG took a lot of time, money and effort, but "it's fucking cool and made people happy."
He adds that the brazen nature of Sony's blanket policy is particularly dispiriting. "I just wish they would license one company to manufacture discs as an option for collectors," he says. "Where there is digital there will always be a sizable audience who want tangible."
These views are echoed by Edmund McMillen, co-creator of The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and Mewgenics. "I collect physical media and will always find a way to release my games physically," he posts on Twitter. "The fact is, if mainstream publishers stop, independent boutique publishers will continue making collectors editions that will be way better anyway."
Sadly, there are a few hurdles to that: firstly, in Sony's case, you need corporate approval to proceed, which may not be as forthcoming; secondly, consoles going all digital would make this redundant anyway; and third, the rising costs to begin with. It's becoming a nigh untenable proposition.
Nonetheless, the resolve from independent publishers and companies is strong. "Even if you play mostly digital games, we know many of you buy our physical releases to have a tangible representation of your favorite games. A copy you can own, borrow, or give as a gift. We take a lot of pride and care in that," Fangamer, the publisher behind physical versions of Hollow Knight: Silksong, Stardew Valley, and more, says on Twitter.
"It means the world to us that we can help bring you that experience, and we'll continue sharing the collective joy that physical media brings." Similar comments were made by iam8bit, a publisher who also does vinyl releases of video game soundtracks, as well as physical releases for games including Blue Prince, which ends on a rousing statement: "Long live physical media."
