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Ruth Bonneville \/ Free Press biz – PNP Games Photo of Dan Boissoneault, business and community development representative of PNP Games. PNP Games has started a petition calling on Sony to reverse its decision to stop making physical discs for PlayStation 5. The decision takes effect in 2028; the petition has gotten more than 200,000 signatures. PNP Games, 160 Meadowood Dr See story by Gabby July 8th, 2026<\/p>\n
Winnipeg-based independent chain PNP Games has outfitted its St. Vital area store with signs of protest. It\u2019s also launched an online petition \u2014 one garnering more than 231,000 signatures in roughly a week.<\/p>\n
Its leadership worries the change will hurt business.<\/p>\n
\u201cSony is \u2026 taking away the option for people,\u201d said Dan Boissoneault, PNP Games business and community development representative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest component \u2014 especially for our customers \u2014 is being able to own (a game) and keep it and have it as part of their collection for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked through the shop, which sells new PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox games behind its counters. Sony petition signs covered Atari 2600 cartridges; Super Nintendo wares were nearby.<\/p>\n
PNP Games\u2019s petition argues using a download code isn\u2019t the same as buying a physical game. <\/p>\n
Those options are already available, Boissoneault noted \u2014 and they\u2019re less popular to purchase.<\/p>\n
The petition raises fears of future job loss in the video game industry, from retailers to distributors and manufacturers. It calls on Sony to reverse its decision, which the mammoth company publicized July 1.<\/p>\n
Sony cited a shift in \u201cconsumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry\u201d from physical discs to digital in its Canada Day statement.<\/p>\n
Digital sales accounted for a majority of the brand\u2019s gaming revenue last year. Globally, just one-fifth of gamers favour consoles, a 2025 report from the Entertainment Software Association states.<\/p>\n
More than half of gamers prefer to play on their smartphones; 21 per cent choose computers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the retail landscape is \u2026 becoming very niche,\u201d said Jeffrey Pidsadny, a game level design professor at Sheridan College in Ontario. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very different to compete, because what is the value that you\u2019re offering the consumer?\u201d<\/p>\n
Boissoneault has already clocked a shrinking video game retail space. Big-box chains are pulling back on their offerings, he said.<\/p>\n
EB Games has shops in Winnipeg; Entertainment Exchange in Grant Park Shopping Centre has a corner devoted to the hobby.<\/p>\n
PNP Games runs three Winnipeg locations. It\u2019s been stocking more game-related merchandise \u2014 Mario mugs, Pikachu plushies \u2014 over the past five years to accommodate shifting demand, Boissoneault said.<\/p>\n
Sony\u2019s lack of physical games could lead to fewer customers in the long-term, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will definitely affect our business, but we\u2019re going to be working to \u2026 fill that hole,\u201d Boissoneault said, adding the company will \u201cfind opportunities\u201d as a niche shop while bigger chains cut their video game aisles.<\/p>\n
Nintendo Co., Ltd., still leans into physical games, Boissoneault noted.<\/p>\n
Pidsadny considers Sony\u2019s move \u201ca numbers game.\u201d When physical games are sold in store, the money is split between the game developer, retailer and console maker.<\/p>\n
Involving fewer parties generally means the companies keep more cash.<\/p>\n
Sony didn\u2019t respond to questions by end of day Wednesday. <\/p>\n
The video game giant\u2019s decision comes amid uncertainty in the industry, with consolidation and layoffs. However, the sector is still widely popular, Pidsadny said.<\/p>\n
Brick-and-mortar video game sellers\u2019 situations will worsen if companies such as Microsoft Corp\u2019s Xbox follow suit, said Andrei Zanescu, a Concordia University professor who researches large-scale game distribution.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unlikely Sony will reverse course on its decision, Zanescu said. <\/p>\n
A European plant that manufactures PlayStation game discs is restructuring to make optical microlenses, according to media reports citing ORF Salzburg, an Austrian publication.<\/p>\n
Price and other factors can make Sony\u2019s biggest competitors \u2014 PC and Xbox \u2014 inaccessible, Zanescu added: \u201cSony is basically making a gamble that people will not leave, no matter how much this annoys them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trading old games and lending are ways gamers keep costs down. Those will be lost as games move fully digital, Zanescu said.<\/p>\n
Daniel Voth, executive director of Winnipeg Game Collective, opts to play games online, in part because of the costs of console-based games.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I\u2019m not directly affected by it, there\u2019s people that are,\u201d Voth said, adding he\u2019s against Sony\u2019s change. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would be important to have some more control of what we buy. Terms of services can change, and then we\u2019re at the mercy of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fabio Hofnik, who\u2019s co-creating the Manitoba Computer and Gaming Museum, signed PNP Games\u2019s petition.<\/p>\n
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The customer experience has morphed. There are few collectibles, such as world maps and detailed instructions, that come with physical discs, Hofnik said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis experience was very unique to these kinds of games,\u201d Hofnik said, adding there\u2019s demand for third-party companies who make such collectibles.<\/p>\n
Boissoneault called games a \u201ccommunity thing\u201d \u2014 something to share with family and friends, and to pass down to children.<\/p>\n
The petition is being sent to Sony, he said.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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