{"id":720731,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/720731\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:07","slug":"sony-says-its-not-backing-down-from-ending-playstation-discs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/720731\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Says It’s Not Backing Down From Ending PlayStation Discs"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been almost a month since Sony announced the end of PlayStation discs for new games starting in 2028, and a loud contingent of angry fans has continued to criticize the company for going all-digital. Asked about the ongoing backlash during its latest earnings call<\/a>, Sony said it understands why people have strong feelings about physical games, but it\u2019s still going to move forward with getting rid of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of\u00a0content overall has been progressing, that\u2019s the big factor,\u201d Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao said through an interpreter during a Q&A on July 31. \u201cIt\u2019s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: <\/p>\n

And so when we think about the future\u2013and we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this\u2013and we came to this conclusion, and we\u2019re going to cautiously move this forward. And to this decision, we have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us. Games are loved by many people. It\u2019s a form of entertainment that\u2019s loved by people, and it\u2019s connected to people\u2019s fond memories in many cases. And so we understand those emotions. We want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore<\/p>\n

Sony responds to the backlash over ending PlayStation discs. <\/p>\n

“We put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this, and we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward\u2026” pic.twitter.com\/qRKkEX6TN3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) July 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Some players are trying to put together an initial boycott of PlayStation by way of a week-long blackout in mid-August. \u201cWhether it\u2019s closing beloved studios like Bluepoint, pursuing a misguided live-service strategy, cancelling fan events, leaving PS VRS2 to die, or being completely out of touch with the franchises players want to see return, PlayStation has never felt more disconnected from its community,\u201d physical gaming advocate DoesItPlay\u2019s announced on X this week<\/a>. \u201cEnding physical discs in 2028 feels like the last straw.\u201d<\/p>\n

One investment analyst during today\u2019s briefing pressed Tau on how the end of discs will impact Sony\u2019s relationship with retailers, and how it will continue to differentiate the PS5 and upcoming console hardware from gaming PCs if both are all-digital devices. In response, Tao pointed out that publishers will still be able to ship empty boxes with codes inside to stores in markets like North America and argued that PlayStation hardware will win on affordability.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the retailers, there are regional characteristics, and for each regional partner, we try to have a thorough dialogue so that we can end up in a win-win situation,\u201d the CFO said. \u201cWe don\u2019t feel that the disc is the factor to differentiate [PlayStation] from the PC. There\u2019s\u00a0a certain way to play with the PC as a user. It\u2019s a long tail. The curated content is one of our strengths, and the game environment being stable, that\u2019s another strength. And compared to the high-end gaming PC, our product is more affordable. So we don\u2019t feel that the disc itself is a strong factor for differentiation. Going forward,\u00a0we can coexist peacefully with PC games.\u201d<\/p>\n