Overview
- Retail images and an updated Amazon Germany listing show a new sticker on PS5 consoles with disc drives that warns newly released PlayStation games will be sold in digital form only starting in January 2028.
- The sticker rollout, reported Thursday, is the clearest consumer-facing sign that Sony intends to proceed with its previously announced plan to stop producing physical discs for new releases.
- Sony’s finance chief has said the company will move 'cautiously' on the change, but public reaction has included large petitions, organized boycotts and at least one Dutch consumer lawsuit seeking damages.
- Sony DADC is repurposing its Thalgau, Austria facility and publishers will still be able to reorder discs for games released before the 2028 cutoff while retailers will be offered boxed products that contain download codes.
- Digital sales already make up the large majority of PlayStation full-game revenue, and the shift heightens concerns about game ownership, resale, long-term preservation and how retailers and regulators will respond.