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PlayStation gamers are switching off their consoles in protest after Sony confirmed it will stop producing physical game discs by January 2028
This digital transition has sparked widespread backlash, with a preservation community called DoesItPlay organising a global #PSBlackout boycott from 23 August to 30 August 2026.
Meanwhile, over 350,000 fans have signed a petition asking the tech giant to reconsider the move, according to Tom's Hardware
However, Sony's latest financial results painted a bleak picture for the future of physical media
During its FY26 Q1 earnings call, the company revealed a massive gap between digital and physical sales.
Digital games generated USD1.2 billion (RM4.91 billion) in revenue, while physical copies only accounted for USD128 million (RM524.22 million).
This means digital revenue is now more than nine times higher than physical disc sales, pushing the company to further embrace a digital-first ecosystem.
Phasing out physical game discs means players will lose the ability to buy affordable secondhand titles, or share them with friends
Secondhand copies are a lifeline for budget-conscious players. For example, a used physical copy of The Last of Us Part I can be found for as low as USD25 (RM102.39), while the digital version sits at USD69.99 (RM286.64) on the PlayStation Store.
Despite the community's concerns, Sony executives remain committed to the decision.
Sony executive officer and CFO Lin Tao addressed the shift during a Q&A session, acknowledging the emotional attachment gamers have to physical media
"On this point, we announced that January 2028 onwards, we will no longer be manufacturing game discs," Tao said.
Sony expected this digital shift to have a limited business impact on traditional retail partners, as the transition started long ago.
"About the retailers, there are regional characteristics," Tao explained.
"For each regional partner, we try to have thorough dialogues so that we can end up in a win-win situation," Tao added.
Addressing the potential fallout, corporate communications executive Ishii noted that a large part of content sales was already digitised.
"Therefore, as a result of the discontinuation of a disc, we don't see that there will be any negative impact on our business," Ishii stated.
