Despite the online backlash, Sony has no plans to reverse its decision to end PlayStation disc sales as of January 2028. It has seen the pushback from gamers since announcing the move on July 1, but will “cautiously move this forward.”
After Sony’s recent earnings call, an investor Q&A session saw analysts ask about its controversial decision to end disc production across all of its consoles. The company hadn’t publicly commented since its announcement and had reduced activity on social accounts and other marketing channels.
Sony’s chief financial officer, Lin Tao, broke that silence during the Q&A. “There are various reasons we made this decision,” she said through an interpreter. “The biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing. That’s the big factor. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing.
“And so when we think about the future, and 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,” Tao said.
Various online petitions and social media campaigns have sprung up over the last month in an effort to encourage Sony to reverse its decision, citing concerns over the end of the second-hand games market and reduced competition for customers to buy PlayStation titles.
“We have received various opinions, and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us,” said Tao.
A boycott of PlayStation is planned for the week of Aug. 23, dubbed the PSBlackout. It’s unclear how many players will take part, but organizers are asking gamers to avoid logging in, playing, or making purchases on Sony’s platforms. A Change.org petition for the campaign has over 352,000 signatures as of publication.
Recommended by Our Editors
Grave Seasons Brings Horror Movie Energy to the Farm Sim Genre, and I’m Here for It
Time to Return to PlayStation Plus? Big Walk, Dying Light 2, and Signalis Arrive in August
You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy. PlayStation’s New Digital Ownership Policy Is Alarming
Tao says Sony wants to “consider” the emotions of disgruntled customers, especially as titles are “connected to people’s fond memories in many cases.”
Tao also alluded to the possibility of future measures to lessen the blow for anyone unhappy with the decision, but it appears Sony hasn’t yet finalized what those may be. “In the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore,” she said.
About Our Expert
James Peckham
Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over a decade after getting my start in tech reporting back in 2013. I joined PCMag in 2025, where I cover the latest developments across the tech sphere, writing about the gadgets and services you use every day. Be sure to send me any tips you think PCMag would be interested in.
Areas of Expertise
Latest By James Peckham
- Not Just OpenAI: Anthropic Says Claude Escaped Tests to Hack 3 Organizations
- Got a New Android Phone? Gemini Might Soon Help You Whiz Through Setup
- Samsung Thinks the RAM Crisis Will Only Get Worse Next Year
- Sick of Making Workout Playlists? Spotify’s New Running Mode Can Help
- Microsoft Confirms Plan for Copilot ‘Super App’ Merging Its AI Tools
- More from James Peckham
