Overview
- Sony confirmed that new PlayStation games released from January 2028 will no longer have pressed Blu‑ray discs and will be sold only as digital downloads or retail download codes.
- The announcement has prompted a large consumer backlash and a Change.org petition called “Don’t Kill the Disc” that has gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures.
- EU consumer commissioner Michael McGrath said regulators lack the power to force Sony to keep making discs so legal compulsion at EU level is unlikely.
- Sony’s Austrian disc plant is being refitted to make optical microlenses with a reported €30 million investment, an expected fall in disc output to about 10% of today’s levels, and plans to retrain staff rather than carry out widespread layoffs.
- Preservation groups and retailers warn the move threatens resale, long‑term access, and small businesses, while analysts say Sony is unlikely to reverse course because digital sales generate higher margins and the company can absorb short‑term subscriber losses.