Sony’s Decision To Abandon Physical PlayStation Discs Has Been Fully Anointed – WGB
Sony probably knew that its decision to stop producing physical PlayStation games in 2028 would upset people. What it probably didn’t expect was that part of the internet decided to pile on the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for a live service game announcing six new currencies despite not having launched yet.
Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that from January 2028, it will no longer produce discs for new PlayStation games. In other words, the future of PlayStation looks very digital, and while Sony hasn’t officially announced the PS6, the writing on the wall is shining in bright neon letters: don’t expect a built-in drive for the PS6. Rumors also say that the next Xbox console will follow, but there is hope there because Xbox is reportedly working on a program to digitize your discs.
Naturally, the players were not happy with the announcement of the PlayStation, about it with the same level of warmth I look at the salad bar – there is none. Collectors, used game buyers, conservationists and hobbyists all have a lot to say. But it wasn’t just gamers who took shots at Sony. Brands, companies and social media accounts quickly joined in, and some of them were really funny.
The clear winner so far is Domino’s Pizza UK, which responded to the PlayStation announcement by saying the decision “makes sense as we transition to digital pizzas.”
Domino’s then doubled down with a fake company announcement of its own, announcing that it will stop producing physical pizzas as of April 1, 2027, replacing them with digital pizza codes that customers can enjoy “using the power of imagination.” Honestly, if Ubisoft hasn’t put someone in a room to figure out how to sell this, I’d be shocked.
KFC España also got involved, announcing that it would stop serving food in a “virtual format,” with products instead available through its app in fake PNG form. Then the joke continued with the talk of sauce DLC and pre-orders, because apparently even the fried chicken now knows more about the trends of the game industry than half of the companies that make games.
GameSir, the controller company, took things a step further by pretending to stop selling physical controllers and move to digital ones instead, powered by “quantum entanglement and pure imagination.” Which, to be fair, still feels more reliable than other third-party Bluetooth controllers I’ve used that always seem to drop the connection on Rainbow Road mid-corner.
Proton, well known for its privacy-focused services, has decided to answer the joke by turning its digital products into reality. The company joked about replacing email with encrypted letters, replacing password managers with someone following and remembering passwords, and installing VPNs instead of literally flying you to different countries.
GameStop once again stepped in with a somewhat stark reminder of what physical gaming still has to offer. A seller posted about a customer trading in an Xbox 360 collection for more than $1,000 in store credit before leaving with PS5 games. It’s not exactly subtle, but then again, and Sony isn’t effectively telling everyone that the used game market is living on borrowed time.
Evercade also had a sneaky response, posting a “Physical Game Sharing Tutorial Video.” That said, it’s a very obvious nod to Sony’s legendary 2013 video explaining how to share PS4 games by simply handing the disc to someone else. At the time, Sony used that video to focus on Microsoft’s Xbox One policies that were designed to stop game trading and reselling. Thirteen years later, well, the puzzle has matured nicely.
Other brands are also stacked. Esports Awards joked that it would no longer be able to offer physical awards, while RESPAWN pretended to be moving from esports seats to digital seat codes. Malwarebytes even got involved by joking about making cybersecurity “physical,” including sending someone in an “M” suit to keep customers safe from viruses.
But underneath all the humor, there is a real concern here. GameFly, iam8bit and Fangamer all responded seriously, defending virtual media and pointing to the importance of storage, ownership and consumer choice.
GameFly’s response was particularly blunt, saying it still believes physical products are important and that it will continue to rent games and movies until someone pries the discs out of its “soft, wet hands.”
iam8bit said it was “deeply disappointed” by Sony’s decision and argued that physical games are still important to collectors, preservation and long-term access.
Fangamer echoed the same sentiment, saying there’s still something special about holding a game in your hands and having something tangible.
It is surprising that one of the most prominent voices in the debate has remained silent until now. Limited Run Games, whose entire business is built on physical systems of games that may never see a disc or cartridge, does not appear to have issued a public statement at the time of writing.
The jokes are funny because the idea of ”digital pizza” or “digital chairs” is obviously absurd. But the reason why the jokes last is because many people feel that Sony’s decision is ridiculous as well.
Digital games are good. There is no denying that. Most people already buy most, if not all, of their games digitally. But luxury is not the same thing as ownership. A digital-only future gives companies the ability to control pricing, access, availability, lending, resale and preservation. It turns games into something you’re allowed to access, rather than something you actually own.
Sony may not have announced the PS6 yet, but by killing the new PlayStation discs in 2028, it may have already told us one of the most important things about it. The next PlayStation will most likely be built for a world where discs are highly selective, and completely ineffective.
For Sony, that might be perfect business sense.
To everyone, it makes about as much sense as digital pizza.
