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Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn Layden on Sony ending physical game discs: It’s a fairly dramatic decision because …
TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jul 04, 2026, 21:19 IST
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Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn Layden has shared his views on Sony‘s reported decision to end production of physical game discs, describing it as a “fairly dramatic decision” that was likely driven by business considerations rather than second-hand game sales. Speaking in a recent interview, Layden said he had no prior knowledge of the move, having left Sony in 2019 after a 32-year career with the company. He said that he believes the decision may simply come down to the economics of producing physical discs as digital game sales continue to grow.”I don’t know what went on in those conversations, but it’s a fairly dramatic decision,” he said, adding “I had no idea it was going to happen. I don’t necessarily agree with it but I don’t work in the business any more.Maybe it’s just too prohibitively expensive to stamp out discs.””If you look at any decision to discontinue a product or a feature or model or what have you, largely it’s a straight spreadsheet [decision]. What are disc sales compared to digital sales? And I’m old enough to remember when digital sales were like 10 percent – I’m old enough to remember when digital sales were zero percent because we didn’t have a digital market! And that number just grew over time,” Layden told Eurogamer.According to Layden, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the shift toward digital game purchases while also contributing to the decline of physical retail stores, reducing the demand for disc-based games.He added that Sony had discussed the possibility of removing disc drives for years while he was with the company.”I’ve been asked this question every year for the last 20 years,”Layden highlighted.Layden explained that the company had long considered a point where digital downloads would serve most customers, making continued investment in physical media less practical.”Majority does not mean entirety, so there is a point, a tipping point, where if I have 80 percent of the opportunity, which represents 95 percent of the revenue source, what’s my incentive to keep the lights on for the other 20 percent if it’s effectively only 5 percent of the business? See what I’m saying? At some point it just becomes obvious that we can’t keep this whole thing running just for this very small slice of opportunity,” he clarified.At the same time, Layden said Sony had previously considered regions where broadband connectivity remained limited, noting that some players, including those on military bases without internet access, still relied on physical game discs.
Second-hand game sales no longer a major factor
Layden also rejected the idea that concerns around second-hand game sales were the main reason behind Sony’s reported decision.”Second-hand gaming still occurs, obviously, but it’s not material any more to the business to worry about, I think,” he added.Layden said the importance of used-game sales had declined over time as digital purchases became more common.”They used to be a huge factor. The wholeGameStopbusiness model was driven around the used game, and then over time, the rise of digital kind of quashed that used-game business, and made it hard for folks who were making a nickel in the secondary market by selling them,” he acknowledged.Layden noted that while he does not know the discussions behind Sony’s recent move, decisions made by a market leader often influence the wider gaming industry.”Certainly this is an industry where if one company, particularly the leader of the industry, makes a decision of this magnitude, that’s going to heavily influence what the other ones do,” Layden said.Sony recently cited “consumer preferences” as the reason for discontinuing disc support. Layden said the move could signal a broader industry transition toward digital game distribution, with other console makers potentially taking similar steps in the future.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.
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