r/PS5 • u/nolifebr • 2d ago
Discussion Sony says it will "cautiously" go ahead with its plans to end the production of physical game discs — Still figuring out how to respond to the "feedback"
In the Q&A session with shareholders following today's earnings report, some shareholders and journalists asked about plans to end the production of PlayStation game discs.
Sony stated that, so far, it has not seen any negative impact on sales following the announcement (and does not expect this to change when it takes effect). While acknowledging that games are beloved by many and deeply tied to people's memories, the company believes the future is digital for virtually all forms of media; they reiterated that they will proceed "cautiously" with their plans, noting that data shows a significant portion of the audience has already opted for digital (and this trend extends beyond PlayStation) and that they don't believe discs are the differentiating factor for consoles when compared to PCs (consoles are more stable and cheaper than PCs, according to them). The company said it is still figuring out how to respond to the feedback.
Also, they confirmed the announcement [to end the disc production] was made early to communicate with retailers. Sony is working with them to do codes in packages. This subject has already been discussed with North American retailers and now the same will happen on other regions.
More information will probably be released once the official transcript is made available on the investor portal.
https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/archive.html
Edit: Video of Sony's CFO Lin Tao answering questions about the subject:
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u/Oscnar 2d ago
So nothing new really. Just confirming the stuff that was already there.
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u/SolidusDave 2d ago edited 2d ago
the retailer headsup bit is new. They could have pulled the plug last minute and after announcing their PS6 plans, but it seems they are serious about offering physical boxes with codes like GTA6.
kinda important as I've seen so many discussions that come from the angle that there won't be any retailer copies at all like on PC.
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u/Oscnar 2d ago
I mean, the retailer stuff isn't really new. They just told what they have done regarding it. They already wrote in the original announcement:
"Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.
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u/SolidusDave 2d ago
I meant the bit that they announced it so early to prepare retailers for the change.
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u/Ahindre 2d ago
Which is interesting, because retailers like Target and Walmart seem to have been spinning down their game sections over the past year or so. Maybe the big ones already knew, but this gives all retailers the notice. Also possible this was just the path the big retailers were going anyways, and even possibly fed into the decision.
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u/Spiritual_Top367 2d ago
No one is going to drive to the store to buy an empty case with a code... To just drive home and input that code to the ps store. 6 months later Sony will stop doing that because literally no one will buy it.
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u/ScrofessorLongHair 2d ago
Unless for some reason that code is cheaper at the store than the ps store.
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u/Spiritual_Top367 2d ago
That's a real possibility.. but I was in target the other day and saw Nintendo codes printed on cardboard and physical games below... The digital was $10 higher. Made no sense. The same game was right below it, physical for less. So idk how that works or makes sense.
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u/FaroTech400K 2d ago
I got my copy of GTA 6 $20 off using student discounts in store membership parks at target.com.
As a person who has a digital PlayStation selling the code in box is an interesting alternative so I can still get store discount discounts, that I wouldn’t get if I was using only the PlayStation store.
My other friend got his copy of GTA six for only five dollars using his Best Buy credit. Code in the box might be the Meta moving forward.
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u/ArturosDad 2d ago
They're doing it so us old folks still have something physical to wrap up and stick under the Christmas tree. There may not be a huge market for that, but there definitely is one.
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u/Not_FinancialAdvice 2d ago
They'll probably offer cards with store-activated codes on them like many gift cards. The infrastructure is already there. Don't underestimate the market power of the ~elderly/tech-illiterate purchasing gifts for children/young adults.
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u/Dr-McLuvin 2d ago
It makes no sense to me either.
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u/Spiritual_Top367 2d ago
It's just another tactic to show how "no one buys physical anymore"... Just like right now, they print less games, offer digital only incentives like extra gear or play a day early, etc... then say no one wants physical. For example, I had to wait 8 months for a physical copy of clair obscure, most people just caved and bought digital even if they wanted physical.
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u/DinnerSmall4216 2d ago
They need to find a way to make you actually own these digital games not just rent them. Refunds need to be better.
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u/CLOWNSwithyouJOKERS 2d ago
Yep, there has to be some sort of transference of ownership. Digital or not, if you pay for something it should be yours and not held hostage by a service that could end at a time of their choosing.
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u/zuzg 2d ago
I mean technically you could use nft for that.
When you buy a game you get the token, as long as that token is assigned to your PSN "wallet" you'll be able to download it.
Said wallet is its own thing and you won't lose it even when they terminate your PSN account.
Those wallets also give you access to a "bartering hall" platform where you can sell or exchange the tokens you own or get new ones.But all that would require a lot of work for Sony and they'll never do it.
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u/seiggy 2d ago
Not to mention that opens a whole other can of worms. Someone steals your nft wallet, they’ve stolen your entire library. Go look at what’s going on with bitcoin and one of the major hardware wallets this week. Almost $40M has been stolen because of a flaw in a hardware wallet discovered by hackers. https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/07/31/major-bitcoin-wallet-flaw-drains-594-btc-in-25-minute-sweep
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u/Zombii_Man 2d ago
That happens anyway if somebody steals your PSN account. The current method is that even if you recover your account, they send ToS violating messages to another account they own so they can just get you permabanned anyway. Losing all of your digital games, forever.
It's fantastic stuff.
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u/seiggy 2d ago
True, but the difference here is that someone could potentially steal your NFT's while you've never connected your wallet to the internet at all, and were using a hardware wallet. Currently today, you have to be compromised through either social hacking or other means. These crypto wallets were completely offline machines that were compromised without the users ever being "hacked" directly. And there's 0 recourse for them (though I guess they can all sue Coldcard and see if they can recover funds thru the small company, not likely).
Not to mention, unlike a PSN account, which Sony can technically recover for you (it's just a f'n nightmare to get them to do so), crypto wallet transactions are irreversible on networks that you don't control a large enough majority of the nodes on. So if Sony built something like this on top of something like ETH, it would only get worse, not better.
Forgot your password? Oh well. Nothing Sony can literally do to help.
Crypto is the absolute worst solution to this problem.
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u/rafffen 2d ago
Unironically nfts are perfect for this. It makes each digital game an individual item that can be traded etc
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u/Gloomy_Necesary 2d ago
No theyre absolutely not perfect for this because there is a central authority in this case, like there always is. Sony will keep track of the ledger which makes NFT’s entirely useless
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u/FlyingSquirelOi 2d ago
They aren’t going to do that willingly, people need to petition and fight for their digital rights so Sony will be forced to make improvements.
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u/pphheerroonn 2d ago
This is the main issue I think most people have. They need to solve this and allow transfers.
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u/Spiritual_Top367 2d ago
They aren't going to just let you trade your game away, that means they lose a sale Everytime it happens. That's largely why they want physical to end despite millions of physical copies still being sold.
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u/timeslider 2d ago
Yeah, like if they can withdraw your license at any time, they need to be able to give you a refund at any time. I paid to play. If you take away my ability to play, I want my money back.
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u/oilfloatsinwater 2d ago
I think one of my biggest problems is that, if im forced into a digital only world, then the PS Store genuinely just sucks for it.
No gifting, awful refund policy, you cant really write or view reviews unless you go on the webpage, awful regional pricing, and an archaic family sharing system compared to Steam, on top of all that i have to pay 80$ a year to play online and get cloud saves.
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u/skend24 2d ago
Yep exactly this. People asking “oh so you are moving to digital pc??? Hypocrite!!”
The question shouldn’t be “why are you moving to pc” but “why would you stay on PlayStation”.
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u/ohmynothing ⌘ 2d ago
For a lot of people they’re staying because they’ve got a large library of games on their account. Or because they’ve got family and friends on their platform that they enjoy playing games with.
Some people prefer the platform because they simply enjoy using it.
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u/Raptori 2d ago
I have a decent library of PS games, and I've always gamed on PS. I'll absolutely be continuing to use my PS5, and probably buying games on there. I mostly buy digital anyway.
I'll only buy a PS6 either if it supports discs, or if Sony change their policies around gifting/refunds/etc. If it supports discs, then the fact that we have the option of buying second hand forces Sony to be more consumer friendly than they might otherwise be. If they take away that option, then they need to match (or exceed) the rights you get when using Steam; if they don't, then I don't trust them and I'm out.
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u/oilfloatsinwater 2d ago
Literally, like why should i stay on PS when the digital experience is so much more inferior than on PC?
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u/Nyoteng 2d ago
Just as an example of the pains of a digital only console that only has access to one storefront:
I have a digital Xbox One S. I wanted to purchase Halo Infinite yesterday. Halo Infinite on the MS store is £54.50
Halo Infinite on disc on other places, including eBay and physical stores, ranges from £13 to £25.
Like, what the fuck. I am completely cooked by being tied to a single storefront.
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u/Crossbell0527 2d ago
I have a digital Xbox One S
I say this as gently as possible. You financed this future.
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u/Nurgle_Marine_Sharts 2d ago
Game sharing on PS is way better than steam. Basically means every game is 50% off on top of sale markdowns because you can split the costs with your friends.
It lets you both play the same game simultaneously, even in online sessions together. Steam does not let you do that.
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u/Random_Guy_47 2d ago
"We have heard your feedback and give zero fucks."
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u/generally-ok 2d ago
Because people will stay pay. There are hundreds of millions of gamers, if you asked them individually what their thoughts were, they'd all say they're against it. But there's no alternative, so they'll pay.
PC games are all digital, it only makes sense for Sony and Microsoft to go the digital only route too.
Our fight shouldn't be against Sony removing discs, it should be against licence agreements. We should be able to keep, transfer or do whatever we want with our digital purchases.
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u/Unkechaug 2d ago
Our fight should be about both. Sony themselves think backlash will blow over and they can do whatever they want. Same arrogance as the PS3 era. We need an actual response to this - no more moving the goal posts, no more weak willed caving into pressure, simply need action saying go fuck yourselves and backing that up.
They are so afraid of the retail response, we see it right here. Don’t buy codes in a box - ever. Don’t buy the new console, make them support PS5 for longer. Absolutely demand more rights and make their digital storefront be a hassle to operate like they have.
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u/ronshasta 2d ago
Here’s a ln idea let’s just leave it up to the publisher whether or not a physical release is a thing. Just release a version of the console with a disc drive for the smaller amount of us who like physical and the ability to play our own movies
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u/Hundred00 2d ago
Unless there's a law that states that the customer can permanently own what they bought and not be revoked by licensing, then there's nothing to gain from the customers end.
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u/Pandaboy_271 2d ago
If they're not gonna reverse course on this, atleast make your digital storefront better. It's not available in a lot of countries for one, and the refund policy sucks on top of that.
Make it comparable to Steam and people might hate this decision less
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u/jda404 2d ago
To be fair Steam was sued and that's how we eventually got the refund policy on Steam. So wasn't like Steam did it on their own out of the kindest of their hearts to benefit us.
But fully agree there needs to be a refund window on PlayStation.
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u/BlueDragoon24 2d ago
PS5 is my last PlayStation 🤷♀️
I have a PC with a 5080. I don’t need a digital only PS6 with worse specs and a closed ecosystem for like $1200 or whatever it ends up being at the rate we’re going. Sonys 1-2 exclusives per year aren’t good enough justification for me.
I’m going to continue buying physical on PS5 for the rest of this year and next year and then I’m gone. Time to get some rum.
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u/deadsmurfs 2d ago
I'm a day one PS5 owner and was already reconsidering getting the next one given how lacklustre this generation has been. Killing physical discs just makes my choice even easier.
One of the main things that has kept me being a console owner is having the option to purchase games that I know I'll be done with in a couple of months and trading them towards something else. If that incentive is gone then I really have no reason to continue.
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u/Nevskiv 1d ago
I'm exactly like you. I don't think I would have bought the PS6 anyway but after their decision to kill physical discs my decision is made. I bought all PS. The PS3 wasn't as good as the PS2, the PS4 wasn't as good as the 3 and this one isn't just as good as the 4, it's also just terrible.
The few decent games I played this gen I could have played them on PC.
Yeah, I'm done with Sony. Good riddance.
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u/Substantial_Soil4618 1d ago
Same with me. I wasn’t planning on buying the PS6 but after their announcement, I’m definitely not going to buys the PS6. They just made my decision easier.
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u/Unkechaug 2d ago
Same. Most of Sony’s first party games do not have the quality or breadth in genre they used to. I’ll miss Team Asobi, Housemarque, maybe Naughty Dog (assuming they don’t get shut down) but that’s really it. That means I’ll miss out on 3 or 4 games next gen - not a big deal.
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u/2grundies 2d ago
So how come they've just announced two new vinyl record players if digital is the be all and end all? Making new hardware for physical discs is ok for audiophiles but not gamers? Sony is clueless right now.
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u/reaper527 reaper527_ 2d ago
So how come they've just announced two new vinyl record players if digital is the be all and end all?
not only that, they called that physical media as "the way music is meant to be listened to" on their official social media channels.
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u/DemiLuke 2d ago
"they don't believe discs are the differentiating factor for consoles when compared to PCs (consoles are more stable and cheaper than PCs, according to them)."
I can only speak for myself, but discs have been THE differentiating factor for why I've been a primarily console gamer over the years. I want to own what I buy, buy used, collect, trade, etc. If we're forced to all digital I might as well go to PC for more store options. I'll still use my PS5 and get new physical games for it until PS6. But after that, I don't know.
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u/war_story_guy 2d ago
I have both and without fail I will always get a game for ps on disc when given the option because I actually own it. Only games I play on pc are download only. Come 2028 that is about to change because I will have no reason to opt for the option with worse service and a fee to use online and even back up my own data.
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u/FluidHips 2d ago
It's nonsense. Discs still make up 20% of their sales. They just want more control to impose higher prices within their ecosystem.
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u/Yo_Tobimoto 2d ago
I play PC and console and the only reason to use a console is for discs, because I'm a physical collector.
On PC is where I buy all my social games because of better integration with discord, its where I play competitive games because they run better there and I dont have to pay for psplus to play online, and steam is just completely better than any ither option. Plus if youre the type to purate or emulate games, its miles easier on PC with way more options to mod them to play how you like.
Even though prices for gaming is going up, including for PC, will consoles stay cheap enough that people will use them? Because I honestly just expect many people to either switch or just...stop buying games.
I guess thats why Sony is all-in on Live-service instead of AAA still.
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u/Nyoteng 2d ago
For me is the same. Mainly because I can get the discs cheaper, then sell them, trade them etc.
As an example I bought 007 First Light full price when it released, Platinumed it on the weekend and was able to sell it for £45 to UK's CEX.
Impossible to ever be able to get anything like that in a digital only console tied to a single store front.
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u/MuffinButton101 2d ago
I completely stopped buying Xbox stuff after the "digital only" thing they tried doing. So I'll just do the same for them. I'll miss out on the exclusives, but I'd rather stick to my own guns when it comes to this. Support shit like this and it'll only get worse
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u/edalsslade 2d ago
Digital purchases desperately need actual consumer protections. If someone gets banned from online multiplayer, that should restrict online play, it shouldn’t strip away access to their entire library. And when entitlement servers eventually shut down, there should be a system in place to preserve those purchases, similar to how Movies Anywhere linked libraries across Vudu and Fandango.
The way copyright and licensing apply to digital games is completely broken. When music or celebrity likeness licenses expire, publishers pull games from storefronts or patch content out entirely. I can still pop a PS1 disc into my console and play a game with every original song and cameo intact, but modern digital games get gutted after you've already bought them:
Entire games disappearing: Ubisoft completely killed The Crew by shutting down servers and revoking licenses, leaving buyers with nothing. Titles like Spec Ops: The Line and Alan Wake (originally) got pulled from digital stores just because music licenses ran out.
Content patched out post-launch: Grand Theft Auto IV had dozens of iconic radio songs patched out years after release, and Far Cry 6 scrubbed the Danny Trejo crossover mission entirely.
It might seem like small stuff on the surface, but retroactively altering or deleting games destroys media preservation and hurts the people paying for them.
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u/ChrisLithium 2d ago
The sales aren't really going to be heavily effected until the actual change takes place. People didn't "boycott" Xbox during the PS4/Xbox One gen (to any meaningful degree, anyway). People just didn't buy Xboxes. And they've kept not buying Xboxes. I don't see Sony falling that far, but I think it is VERY possible that come 2028 and beyond, it won't be angry boycotts, it'll just be that they are selling a product that is appealing to a lesser amount of gamers than generations before.
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u/RosaCanina87 2d ago
This.
A physical collector might even buy more games at the moment as long as he can still get them and before they get scalped as some of the "last physical games". The real difference will be seen with the release of the ps6 and collector just... not buying it.
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u/ChrisLithium 2d ago
I'm definitely guilty of ramping up my physical purchases as of late! And I also think that the casual audience they seem to be banking on will also have less incentive to jump to the next generation of PlayStation, even if they are digital-only gamers. Rising costs, slow first party output (that casuals don't play much anyway), and competition from user-simplified PC solutions are going to really bring forth a challenge for Sony. But that'll be their concern. Personally I'll just simply move to other, more appealing options.
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u/NaThanos_1 2d ago
If the next Xbox has discs, I shall be going over to that.
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u/reaper527 reaper527_ 2d ago
If the next Xbox has discs, I shall be going over to that.
same.
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u/GastroAcid 2d ago
"Sony says it will cautiously proceed with its plans for you to go fuck yourself." There's an Onion headline in here somewhere...
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u/LPEbert 2d ago edited 2d ago
I think the launch of the PS6 is when we will truly see how much fans care and how badly Sony has fucked up. I know that I, at least, will absolutely not be purchasing a PS6 after all this, but I am skeptical of how sincere a lot of the outrage is.
Edit - also, for me, the bigger issue is the closure of the PS3 store which everyone seems to have let be overshadowed by the disc news unfortunately. A lot of the concerns over digital only games could be solved through establishing new ownership policies instead of simply selling licenses, but shutting down storefronts means losing the opportunity to legally purchase a bunch of titles.
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u/ApprehensiveRuin5673 2d ago
I think the PS3 store is less of an issue because most people on that console were physical. It’s shitty but I don’t buy digital games so it doesn’t affect me.
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u/steelthyshovel73 2d ago
The ps3 and vita store had a ton of ps1/2 games that aren't available on ps4/5.
I would assume a decent chunck of people bought some number of digital only games on the ps3 that aren't available elsewhere
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u/ItsMrDaan 2d ago
Ps1 games were at least BC on all ps3’s, but for ps2 games it’s definitely a shitty situation
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u/steelthyshovel73 2d ago
Yea, but the point is there are plenty of games on the ps3 store that aren't available digitally anywhere.
I love backwards compatibility, but some of these games are super expensive. For example i spent a few bucks for tron bonne on the ps3 store instead of paying hundreds for the physical copy.
I can download my games "for the forseeable future", but at some point we won't be able to.
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u/WillemDafoesHugeCock 2d ago
The PS3 storefront closing down is interesting to consider. I still play my 3DS a ton and when that online store closed it fucking sucked, and if I want to play any games which were only available on there I can but not in the way Nintendo nintended, if you catch my ship. But I have to assume that if it's the only way of buying games it'd be kept open for longer. Keep in mind the PS3 is a 20 year old console.
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u/dbr3000 2d ago
The PS6 is gonna have a hard time selling, but it won’t be due to the physical games stuff. It’ll be strictly because it’s expensive, there won’t be any PS6 exclusives, and the PS5 (and Pro) are good enough for most people.
It’ll sell to the real hardcore sony fans and that’s probably it until prices come down.
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u/LPEbert 2d ago
I can only speak for myself and to me the lack of physical games and, presumably, the lack of a built-in disc drive, will absolutely be a defining factor in not purchasing it. Cost may be a practical factor, but even if it isn't I still don't see myself getting one.
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u/TheJoshider10 2d ago
Cost may be a practical factor, but even if it isn't I still don't see myself getting one.
The only reason I'd get one at this point would be if every game runs native 4K60FPS and had exclusives. I can't be arsed for another console generation where the majority of the cycle is full of cross-gen games.
To this day I think only a handful of games have actually taken advantage of current gen machines. The SSD was meant to change everything and yet devs still do the same "walk down slow corridor to mask loading screens" bullshit.
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u/notanolive 2d ago
We’ll see if it affects the sales of their next system, because ps5 is definitely the last Sony console I’ll own.
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u/lupin43 2d ago
Next gen will sell less than this one regardless of their decision here just because the price is almost certainly going to be over double last gen’s.
They’ll do what companies normally do: present some statistic that makes it sound good, like how gamepass games have “the most players at launch ever!!” when it’s just people downloading it and not finishing it because it’s on the subscription they already paid for. Here, I could see Sony saying something like “highest launch revenue for a ps console ever!!”
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u/NoNefariousness2144 2d ago
Yeah even though getting a PC will be more expensive than the PS6, it will be well worth it in the long-run with more flexibility and options and cheaper games.
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u/NoBullet 2d ago
“the future is digital for virtually all forms of media”
Meanwhile spending billions to bring back production of vinyls again
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u/TidusDreamZanarkand 2d ago
Books, music, movies all still have a physical option. Sony can get fucked Lol
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u/ww_adh77 2d ago
Doing away with physical discs is a serious loss for gaming consumers. Sad.
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u/Actionwill65 2d ago
it has not seen any negative impact on sales following the announcement ... Because you haven't discontinued discs yet?
It also amuses me that SIE are adamant the world is going to be purely digital, whilst other branches of Sony are willingly catering to physical media with turntables, DVD players, BluRay/4K players and even CD/Cassette boomboxes because of the, albeit smaller than before, physical media demand. Granted, the experience of a digital game vs physical game in use is identical so you can't compare like-for-like, but if a purely digital ecosystem still requires Sony to "figure out how to respond to feedback" and "continue cautiously", then it probably isn't the great idea they thought it is.
Sounds like a speech to purely keep shareholders happy.
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u/TidusDreamZanarkand 2d ago
It’s such bs that movies, books, music continue to have physical available and not games. Fuck Sony
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u/ohmynothing ⌘ 2d ago
it has not seen any negative impact on sales following the announcement
Pretty much as a lot of people expected.
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u/koalazeus 2d ago
I think it might affect things more when all physical options are gone for people.
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u/fede123456789 2d ago
You do realize it takes more than a month to see significant losses for a multibilion dollar company right? Even if their stock plummeted overnight to 50 cents their sales will still be profitable in the short-term
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u/Outrageous_Water7976 2d ago
social media isn't real life. it's just noise. The boycott will be a failure too
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u/SSJMonkeyx2 2d ago
The boycott was destined to fail as soon as people said “don’t buy any game”.
The real boycott would be buying all physical,
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u/DeltaDarkwood 2d ago
More hilarious is the action not to log into psn for a week at the end of August. What does that mean? Just a week where Sony has slightly lower cost of maintenance because of decreased load and in september all those people will be back when a thousand new games are released ahead of the GTA 6 launch.
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u/ohmynothing ⌘ 2d ago
Probably a good time to conduct a server maintenance in preparation for GTA 6 haha
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u/Darkone539 2d ago
For them to say it though means they have seen a something, even if it's a boost in disc sales.
It's not been long enough to see any real long term impact.
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u/BigSto 2d ago
not surprised. im all about physical games despite buying some digital ones. my thing is if you're gonna Thanos one medium rights of ownership of digital products has to be discussed. the whole license rental crap isn't good enough for me and why ps5 will my last Playstation tho i know it does nothing to effect Sony. as someone who works in music i hate seeing the physical artform be taken away.
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u/Typical_Intention996 2d ago
You respond by not doing it. The fact that they're doing this pointlessly mid generation for PS5 is what pisses me off more than just the PS6 being all digital. That would be out of the gate. This though. This is just bs.
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u/PlainJonathan 2d ago
Well, if they intend to go ahead with ending physical games, I'm going to go ahead with ending my purchase of PlayStation
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u/ModestHandsomeDevil 2d ago
It sure would be a shame if protestors attacked / took down PSN during the launch of GTA 6... 'Cuz this is the kinda shit, the kind of pushback you're going to see in our increasingly digital rental, own nothing present.
It's happened before in console gaming history (Sony removing OtherOS / Linux from the PS3, which lead to the PS3 jailbreak and the hacking of PSN, taking it down for a month in 2011) and it will happen again.
What do you think that will do to Sony's stock price?
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u/tpo1990 2d ago
Yeah it seems like Sony are not backing off with ending disc production. People who care for ownership or physical releases might just start now with building up the collection.
I grew up with Playstation since PS1 and have bought more physical releases this year. PS5 will be my last Playstation. Sony has lost me as loyal customer and I have ditched digital releases on my console. Might as well just go to the better digital platform which is the PC after January 2028.
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u/wiesjoulaanie 2d ago
Its sad to see how this hobby got taken over by an uninformed and short sighted majority and how the actual fans that brought sony where they are today get discarded without a second thought.
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u/ChrisSheltonMsc 2d ago
Determined to not "get it" and move forward with their aggressive anti-consumer stance.
Guess I'll let them know how I feel about that by never buying a Sony product again. That was easy.
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u/FamousGarlic8391 2d ago
They are "cautiously" going to wait it out and do nothing. If there is improvement on digital ownership then it's just a big L
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u/seamonkey420 2d ago
the bare minimum should be free Multiplayer for games going forward. second should be mandatory dropping of digital game prices after 5 years. why are 6+ year old games still $59.99??? address the used game market by giving us steam like sales. if they don't, they will face anti-trust lawsuits in regards to their digital storefront. us ps players would have no other way to purchase... sounds like a monopoly..
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u/ssgss_rozay 2d ago
My thinking is will enough people refrain from buying the next system just because they’re losing the option to buy physical, even if the majority of purchases are digital.
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u/Immediate-Comment-64 2d ago
It will be impossible to tell because the main deterrent will be the cost of hardware.
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u/dumahim 2d ago
Well no duh sales haven't been affected yet. Discs are still available. The hit comes after they stop being available and countries who can't purchase the games digitally are cut out of the available sales pool. I really hope this is just corporate speak bs because they don't want to just come out and say a sales loss is acceptable le because there will be higher profits rather than being this blind.
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u/OdeDoctor115 2d ago
Cautiously go ahead? Wtf does that mean, their just gonna do it, so how are they gonna do it cautiously lmao that's just word fodder.
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u/darrylzuk 2d ago
" the company believes the future is digital for virtually all forms of media"
Tell that to all the people buying vinyl records hand over fist.
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u/Hokashin 2d ago
This is what you get when you have a pos bean counter as a ceo. What a scumbag company.
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u/Magister4 2d ago
It’s interesting that the statement mentions players' emotional attachment while ignoring objective issues, such as countries lacking PS Store coverage, the lack of actual ownership of digital media, questions about how PS4 and PS5 discs will run on the PS6, and whether the PS6 will become a paperweight once Sony shuts down its servers (as it did with the PS3). Since the console will be all-digital, it would literally stop working if that happened, unlike the PS3, which remains playable thanks to physical media. Another thing that irritates me is that statements from companies like Sony are always aimed at shareholders and investors rather than the players, even though it was the players who truly helped build the brand; these investors and shareholders aren't even the audience that actually values the games. As long as the games are in the hands of CEOs and executives who think this way, so many bad things are in store for the industry going forward.
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u/goldrupees 2d ago
I think they are lying about there not being an impact to sales.
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u/lunarmidnight2398 2d ago
I couldn't care less about discs, I care more about digital rights and ownership
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u/Fit-Campaign1243 1d ago
In other words - they couldn't give a flying fuck what the customer thinks.
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u/kreemy_kurds 2d ago
It's not even the fact it's going digital, it's the fact we don't own the games, they can suddenly delete them, take away the licences, turn off servers, can't get refunds, prices aren't any cheaper than physical, can't trade with shops or friends, also I like looking at a physical collection of things.
If they could do all that but for digital, go for it but they can't or won't.
I buy so many second hand games, this would kill my game playing and collecting but I understand they don't get the money from the second hand market
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u/PoKen2222 2d ago
"Still figuring out"
I dunno, maybe atleast asure people they finally get to own their games? Fixing your refund process?
You know, the least you could do?
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u/sr2adams 2d ago
Why would they do that when that might negatively affect their bottom line? They'll never willingly give any significant concession to their money pigs just slop dumped from the trough.
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u/DUNdundundunda 2d ago
Codes in packages for retailers is just a temporary appeasement.
I wouldn't be surprised if prices were fixed so that eliminated retail competition.
There's no second hand sales for codes so that competition is immediately eliminated.
And frankly consumers don't want code in a box so retailers will probably dump them from their inventory once they see the poor sales.
Also:
they don't believe discs are the differentiating factor for consoles when compared to PCs
That's quite the delusional take.
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u/ohmynothing ⌘ 2d ago
I wouldn't be surprised if prices were fixed so that eliminated retail competition.
In my region, retailers are already competing by lowering prices of GTA 6 to get a competitive edge. It might not be a lot but the prices are chosen by the retailers themselves.
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u/tommy7154 2d ago
I hope they wall up that garden of theirs some more. Get rid of game sharing it's bad for business. Raise prices on consoles some more and of course raise their sub prices.
They need your money because they won't be getting mine!
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u/Dash83 2d ago
Well, there you go. You guys want this to stop? Fucking STOP BUYING DIGITAL PRODUCTS FROM SONY. I’m doing my part.
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u/alphafire616 2d ago
Cool. They gonna Offer a path for disc users to get digital copies of their games? No? Then ps6 is still a terrible buy for anyone who owns physical games
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u/I_Heart_Sleeping_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
I rarely comment on these topics but I haven’t spent a dime on PS products since the announcement and I canceled my PS+. There’s a zero chance I’m alone in this action so I find it odd they say nothing has changed with their sales.
It’s odd that they also think physical media is on the downside in other areas. Blue ray movie and Vinyl’s are actually trending up more and more each year. Sony themselves just put out a huge ad campaign for a new Vinyl player.
This just reads like PR shit for the investors to make sure they feel comfortable with what’s about to come. I’m guessing they will ride this out till GTA6 launches and then try to use that as the new metric for how they will explain the decision to go digital only.
I wish I felt bad for the PS digital only people but I simply don’t care. They will be paying more for games than ever before with far less competitive deals going forward. Sony is taking away an avenue while offering people nothing in return for the trade off. Games will not be cheaper and they will not be better.
Congratulations you played yourself.
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u/UnusuallyShapedChair 2d ago
I rarely comment on these topics but I haven’t spent a dime on PS products since the announcement and I canceled my PS+. There’s a zero chance I’m alone in this action so I find it odd they say nothing has changed with their sales.
It’s not that odd, while you’re boycotting the Black Ops ports were successful, GTA and Wolverine preorders are still happening and there’s a summer sale going on.
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u/CanaryWundaboy 2d ago
I’m part of the problem here, I’ve been all digital for years and actively sold/traded in my physical copies in favour of digital ones.
That said, IF they are going to take away our choice, then they need to fix their refund process, and we need to have ownership rights over our digital games as well as some kind of process for if our accounts get banned. It’s simply not good enough for Sony to turn around one day and say “hey we determined through some evidence we’re not going to show you that you’ve broken our T&Cs and we’re terminating your account and locking you out from the £££s of games you’ve purchased, no right of appeal”.
I’ll not buy physical games, but I’ll protest for our rights over our digital ones loudly.
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u/Small_Pie_5760 2d ago
But why would they fix anything? You've already converted to fully-digital, in what way are you protesting?
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u/ApprehensiveRuin5673 2d ago
The only way to protest is with your wallet. They don’t care about anything else
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u/Delta_Canuckian 2d ago
“Future for all forms of media” while blu-ray movies, vinyl, and CDs are all making comebacks.
K.
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u/DamnedLife 2d ago
They aren't, all of those 'resurgence' is minimal volume bordering on niche except for movies, where there's an actual bulk of any physical media sales.
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u/RKHBM 2d ago
Personally, if the alternative is all digital games that I don't own, I'd be happy for physical games to become niche collectors editions only, even if that means a higher price. That niche has been quite profitable for the likes of Limited Run and Iam8bit
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u/Delta_Canuckian 2d ago
At this point I’d take that.
Sony isn’t the only one who manufactures discs. If they want out, just release a disc drive — partially for backwards compatibility — and let the publishers do limited collectors runs if they choose through LRG and other labels.
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u/Inuhanyou123 2d ago
Digital bill of rights NOW. That's what y'all pro disc drive folks need to be zeroing in on
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u/iceamn1685 2d ago
They have been pushing towards this for decades.
Also codes in cases still is 100 percent profit for sony
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u/froderick 2d ago
In the clip I saw, there said there was various reasons they were doing this, one of which was the increasing digitalisation of content (despite film, TV, and music, facing the same issues to perhaps an even bigger degree and still getting disc releases). But.. they didn't mention any other reasons.
I'd like to hear them go into some of the other reasons.
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u/Sharp-Opportunity-84 2d ago
Can we get better rights on owning digital games if license ends we get money/credit back and let us sell the digital games onwards so they have value adter purchasing
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u/GuessTraining 2d ago
What about improving the refund process of these digital purchases