Now the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) \u2013 which defines its role as \u201cchampioning the retailers and digital services who connect music, video and games creators with UK fans\u201d \u2013 has condemned the decision (as reported by The Game Business<\/a>), saying it harms players and retailers.<\/p>\n \u201cPlayStation<\/a>\u2019s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice,\u201d CEO Kim Bayley said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery year, millions of gamers still choose to buy physical copies because they value true ownership. A disc can be shared with family, traded in, collected, preserved and, crucially, still played years from now. A download licence often offers none of those freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the ERA \u2013 whose partners include Game, HMV, Asda and Morrisons \u2013 consumer data shows that a quarter of those under 25 use discs, and the total disc-based games market was valued at over \u00a3300 million last year, \u201cdemonstrating that there remains a substantial and committed audience for boxed games\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cRetailers see this demand every day,\u201d Bayley added. \u201cPhysical games continue to bring people into shops and give consumers real value through gifting, collecting and resale. The industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices.<\/p>\n \u201cDigital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them.<\/p>\n \u201cConsumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn\u2019t represent progress \u2013 it simply removes choice. That\u2019s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week a European Union commissioner said that Sony and other game companies can\u2019t be stopped from axing physical game discs<\/a> and making future games digital-only.<\/p>\n Michael McGrath, the EU commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, explained that game companies were free to offer games in whatever form they chose, as long as they were compliant with the law.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sony\u2019s largest disc production site is already planning a pivot to start manufacturing optical microlenses instead.<\/p>\n