@MattGPT Yes, this is indeed a good thing for Sony, that's obvious, I also didn't want to insinuate they would actually have a 20% loss in sales, even if it would still be 20% in 2028, plenty of people would just buy it digital, and even if they wait for like a first sale, it wouldn't necessarily hurt Sony's bottom line compared to discs where they get a lower cut and which allow for the used marked to exist where they get no cut at all.
Anyway, the problem is: I get it that this is interesting for them. I get it that individual publishers might consider a disc version not worth bothering with. I don't like it, but I get it. The biggest issue in my opinion is Sony removing the option for new games to be published. If this would be limited to the PS6, again, I wouldn't like it, but there is an argument to be made that it's maybe better than having the number of physical releases (both in number of games and in sales) decline further to the point that volumes are getting too low and it no longer being feasible a couple of years in. Again, I wouldn't have liked it, and it would still be kind of a artificial limitation, but the message would have been clear from the get-go.
The issue here is, they are removing the option to publish physical games altogether, including for the PS5 (and the PS4, although one would think that, especially physically, the only games that would have still released would have been annualised sports games anyway). The PS5 was very much released with full support for physical media. Initially stock and sales for the digital version were limited (to be fair, Sony was probably losing more money on those, given that the price gap was still €100/$100 at the time, so they probably just prioritised the disc version), and the vast majority of big releases still get a physical release. Again, this isn't them just announcing they will no longer publish physical games, they are removing the option for the whole platform, for all publishers, a little over 7 years after it's release. I guess they hope that the code in a box concession will appease judges and regulators?
@MattGPT I'm not sure how 20% of the market is "very small". Yes, clearly it's getting smaller, and the corporate benefits to digital are clear, but if they were to lose even close to 20% of their game sales, that would also be disastrous for them.
And I'm not even sure what the relevance of the situation on PC, or Xbox for that matter is to the decision for Sony. That it's possible to go digital-only? Or if it's a cost thing, where the volumes are getting too low to be cost-effective, well, then the decline of BluRay video is probably more relevant.
And as far as "gamers have chosen" is concerned: have gamers chosen to not even get the option, even if it were to be at a premium? And if other platforms are somehow relevant in this: what about Nintendo, where it seems to be more like 50%. Your reasoning might be relevant for publishers and developers who opt to not have a physical version, but not for a platform holder to just stop it altogether, especially if it still accounts for 20% on said platform.
Now, personally, I didn't see this coming. I absolutely expected it to happen more often that even bigger games didn't get a physical version, or a delayed one (we of course have GTA 6 now, but there was BG 3 and AW 2 as well). But Sony just pulling the plug altogether? No, especially given that they had been pretty good about this themselves. That Microsoft is going digital-only is pretty clear. Given their market share, the volumes are getting problematically low, and they themselves don't even bother to make it more than a physical license key. Not to mention that e.g. Indiana Jones was simply unavailable for quite a long time ... And if the next Xbox is moving to PC, and the games are presumably PC versions with maybe custom settings profiles, then yes, it would be digital-only.
I mean, there was of course the question of the PS6: will they continue there support, but personally I expected for it to just decline further, but that it would still be possible, and with an optional disc drive. But now, they aren't just announcing that at the very least PS6 will be digital-only as far as new games are concerned, they are announcing that PS5 will become digital-only, a console that wasn't exactly sold on that premise.
Comments 2
Re: Sony Kills Physical PS5 Games, Starting in January 2028: A Gigantic Hint That PS6 Will Be "Adorably All-Digital"
@MattGPT Yes, this is indeed a good thing for Sony, that's obvious, I also didn't want to insinuate they would actually have a 20% loss in sales, even if it would still be 20% in 2028, plenty of people would just buy it digital, and even if they wait for like a first sale, it wouldn't necessarily hurt Sony's bottom line compared to discs where they get a lower cut and which allow for the used marked to exist where they get no cut at all.
Anyway, the problem is: I get it that this is interesting for them. I get it that individual publishers might consider a disc version not worth bothering with. I don't like it, but I get it. The biggest issue in my opinion is Sony removing the option for new games to be published. If this would be limited to the PS6, again, I wouldn't like it, but there is an argument to be made that it's maybe better than having the number of physical releases (both in number of games and in sales) decline further to the point that volumes are getting too low and it no longer being feasible a couple of years in. Again, I wouldn't have liked it, and it would still be kind of a artificial limitation, but the message would have been clear from the get-go.
The issue here is, they are removing the option to publish physical games altogether, including for the PS5 (and the PS4, although one would think that, especially physically, the only games that would have still released would have been annualised sports games anyway). The PS5 was very much released with full support for physical media. Initially stock and sales for the digital version were limited (to be fair, Sony was probably losing more money on those, given that the price gap was still €100/$100 at the time, so they probably just prioritised the disc version), and the vast majority of big releases still get a physical release. Again, this isn't them just announcing they will no longer publish physical games, they are removing the option for the whole platform, for all publishers, a little over 7 years after it's release. I guess they hope that the code in a box concession will appease judges and regulators?
Re: Sony Kills Physical PS5 Games, Starting in January 2028: A Gigantic Hint That PS6 Will Be "Adorably All-Digital"
@MattGPT I'm not sure how 20% of the market is "very small". Yes, clearly it's getting smaller, and the corporate benefits to digital are clear, but if they were to lose even close to 20% of their game sales, that would also be disastrous for them.
And I'm not even sure what the relevance of the situation on PC, or Xbox for that matter is to the decision for Sony. That it's possible to go digital-only? Or if it's a cost thing, where the volumes are getting too low to be cost-effective, well, then the decline of BluRay video is probably more relevant.
And as far as "gamers have chosen" is concerned: have gamers chosen to not even get the option, even if it were to be at a premium? And if other platforms are somehow relevant in this: what about Nintendo, where it seems to be more like 50%. Your reasoning might be relevant for publishers and developers who opt to not have a physical version, but not for a platform holder to just stop it altogether, especially if it still accounts for 20% on said platform.
Now, personally, I didn't see this coming. I absolutely expected it to happen more often that even bigger games didn't get a physical version, or a delayed one (we of course have GTA 6 now, but there was BG 3 and AW 2 as well). But Sony just pulling the plug altogether? No, especially given that they had been pretty good about this themselves. That Microsoft is going digital-only is pretty clear. Given their market share, the volumes are getting problematically low, and they themselves don't even bother to make it more than a physical license key. Not to mention that e.g. Indiana Jones was simply unavailable for quite a long time ... And if the next Xbox is moving to PC, and the games are presumably PC versions with maybe custom settings profiles, then yes, it would be digital-only.
I mean, there was of course the question of the PS6: will they continue there support, but personally I expected for it to just decline further, but that it would still be possible, and with an optional disc drive. But now, they aren't just announcing that at the very least PS6 will be digital-only as far as new games are concerned, they are announcing that PS5 will become digital-only, a console that wasn't exactly sold on that premise.