After ’20 years’ of deliberating when to pull the plug on physical game copies, PlayStation has finally taken the ‘dramatic’ option to end disc support with upcoming games
It’s a divisive move that has already sent shockwaves across the gaming industry, but the end of disc releases has already been labeled as ‘catastrophic’ for gamers
Sony claimed that it is a ‘natural direction’ in their statement, adding, “the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs.”
It’s not going to be an overnight trend, with at least seven upcoming games launching with physical discs, even if Grand Theft Auto VI is kickstarting the fully-digital age
But Sony is going all-in on its decision, as it has already closed a PlayStation hardware store to make way for a new $30 million studio to create microlenses
Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios leader Shawn Layden labeled the decision to cut discs out entirely as ‘dramatic’, but it also opens the door for its competitors to build their own communities
Former PlayStation boss says dramatic disc decision plays into competitors’ hands
With PlayStation starting the movement, Xbox has already been tipped to make sure Project Helix supports discs, in a bid to pick up where Sony has chosen to ignore. The Nintendo Switch 2 already does
Layden explained that just because Sony has chosen to, doesn’t mean other console providers do too
“I don’t necessarily agree with it but I don’t work in the business anymore. Maybe it’s just too prohibitively expensive to stamp out discs,” he told Eurogamer
“I’ve been asked this question every year for the last 20 years, ‘When are you guys going to just give up on the disc drive?’
“My feeling with that was always: well, when I get to a place where I’m comfortable enough to believe that worldwide, broadband throughput is good enough to support that download experience, good enough to reach the majority of customers.”
While he claimed that PlayStation has clearly identified the ‘tipping point’ that makes them feel physical games are not worth the investment, this could put money back into the pockets of Xbox and Nintendo, who will benefit from capitalising on this market
Nintendo
“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
Arguably, the biggest impact in this fiasco will be on second-hand stores like CeX and GameStop, but if Xbox and Nintendo continue to champion physical games, these stores will quickly start becoming havens for their consoles
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