Publication
Sony will stop releasing games on discs from 2028 🌐
The company was the first to announce a specific deadline for phasing out physical releases. Sony fanboys are, to put it mildly, unhappy about the decision. But why did the Japanese company take this step?
Alexey Kalenchuk comments for NTV.
The company is the first to name a specific date for phasing out physical releases. Sony fanboys are, to put it mildly, unhappy about the decision. But why did the Japanese company take this step?
First, it makes economic sense: there is no need for manufacturing, logistics, or warehouses; no retail margin to share; the secondary market disappears; and the platform controls prices and discounts. Second, the decline of disc releases is a well-established global trend. Disc sales have been falling for years while digital versions dominate. About four out of five PlayStation games are already sold digitally. Microsoft may also launch Disc-to-Digital this week, allowing users to convert disc-based games into digital copies. But physical media is not giving up yet: it remains important to Nintendo, collectors, and... Russian players.
For Russian gamers, the consequences of this shift are much more serious—a painful blow below the belt, you might say. Of course, our Fabergé eggs are made of steel and we can endure a lot, but the fact remains: the PlayStation Store has been unavailable in Russia since 2022, while discs remain the simplest way to buy a new game in 2026 without a foreign account or intermediaries. After 2028, buying new PlayStation games will become a headache by default. It will be painful, expensive, and... perhaps not permanent.
The biggest risk in the transition to digital is the loss of control. Buy a God of War disc and it is yours: give it away, trade it, or sell it. Buy a digital copy and you become hostage to a platform... A FOREIGN one!
Jokes aside, do you not think the conditions for a successful Russian console launch are becoming increasingly favorable?