Sony will continue with its plan to stop manufacturing PlayStation game discs in January 2028, despite strong opposition from fans who want physical releases to remain available.
The company addressed the backlash during a question-and-answer session with industry analysts on July 31, following the release of its first-quarter financial results. Those results included a decline in PS5 sales and showed that 82% of games are now downloaded digitally.
Sony Says the Disc Decision Will Continue
Chief Financial Officer Lin Tao responded to a question about the planned end of disc production through a live interpreter. Tao pointed out that Sony gave the change roughly one and a half years of advance notice before explaining that several factors influenced the decision.
The main reason, according to Tao, is the continued growth of digital distribution across entertainment. Sony sees the move as part of a broader industry trend rather than something limited to PlayStation.
When asked about the response from fans, Tao acknowledged that Sony had received “various opinions” and that “people have strong views” about the decision. The company’s response did not suggest that it was considering a reversal, though. Instead, Tao said Sony would “cautiously move this forward” and focus on how to engage consumers within a future digital ecosystem.
Sony’s comments leave the January 2028 manufacturing deadline in place. The company has not explained exactly how its future digital ecosystem will work, but the response indicates that physical-media fans should not expect the current plan to change.
Sony Is Discussing Retail Alternatives
Tao also said Sony had begun speaking with retail partners about the transition. PlayStation has worked with retailers for around 30 years, and Sony wants to find an arrangement that works for both sides.
One option under discussion appears to be boxed products containing download codes instead of discs. Tao pointed to North America as a region where games are already sold in packages with codes but no discs, while noting that retail practices differ between markets. Sony has not confirmed that boxed download codes will become the standard, so post-2028 releases may not look identical everywhere.
The discussions could preserve some of the visibility and giftability of retail games, but download codes would not provide the resale, lending, or offline ownership benefits associated with physical discs.
Retail Groups and Fans Continue to Push Back
The retailer talks come as the Entertainment Retailers Association, a UK trade organization representing physical and digital entertainment sales, continues to oppose the move away from discs. The group has argued that physical games offer ways to share, trade in, collect, preserve, gift, and play games years later that digital licenses may not provide. It has also said boxed games bring customers into stores and give retailers another way to serve players.
The “Don’t Kill The Disc” petition has reached 300,000 signatures. Sony’s largest PlayStation disc plant in Austria has also begun preparing for different work, following an investment of about €30 million in optical microlens-production equipment and training for employees to take on those roles.
The backlash has also drawn support from developers. Guillaume Broche, CFO of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive, said physical games remain meaningful to collectors and described tangible releases as part of the artistic side of the medium
.Players will still see major PlayStation releases arrive on disc before the planned cutoff. God of War Laufey is scheduled for February 16, 2027, according to the same report, putting its release before Sony’s January 2028 manufacturing deadline.
The backlash began after Sony announced the disc-production decision alongside plans to close select PlayStation Storefronts. Some fans have also discussed organizing a PlayStation blackout to protest the move.
For players who prefer discs, the change could affect how they buy, preserve, resell, and access PlayStation games in the long term. Sony’s retailer discussions may preserve some aspects of the traditional shopping experience, but the company’s latest explanation does little to ease concerns about a future where digital purchases become the main option.
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