PlayStation without Discs by 2028: The Ownership Dilemma

Sony's decision to discontinue the production of PlayStation games in physical format represents much more than a simple change in commercial strategy. For millions of users, it marks a definitive shift from a model based on product possession to one based on access via license, with all the consequences that entails.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that from January 2028, all new PlayStation games will be distributed exclusively in digital format, while titles already published or planned before that date will continue to be available on disc. According to the company, the choice reflects an already evident change in consumer habits, with digital purchases representing the vast majority of sales.

Physical and Digital Media: The Value of Possession

From an industrial perspective, it's a comprehensible decision. Eliminating Blu-ray production reduces printing, logistics, and distribution costs, in addition to concentrating sales on the PlayStation Store, where Sony retains a larger share of revenue. At the same time, much of the used market disappears, the possibility of lending a game or keeping it as a collector's item is lost, and dependence on the platform's digital ecosystem grows.

The issue goes far beyond collecting tout-court. In recent days, Sony has also been at the center of controversy over another matter that has reignited the debate on the meaning of the word "purchase" in the digital age. Due to the expiration of the licensing agreement with StudioCanal, from next September 1st, over 500 films will be removed from the PlayStation video library. The most controversial consequence is that many users will also lose access to titles regularly "purchased" over the years, with no refunds or forms of compensation announced so far. Among the films involved are very popular works such as Terminator 2, Apocalypse Now, and Pan's Labyrinth.

This episode highlights a substantial difference between physical media and digital content. When you buy a Blu-ray or DVD, the media remains at the owner's disposal and can be used independently of commercial agreements between companies. In the digital world, however, in most cases, you don't actually buy the work, but a license to use it, subject to the terms of service and distribution contracts.

The Allure of Physical Media is Hard to Kill

From a legal standpoint, this distinction has been known for some time, but many consumers continue to perceive the "Buy" button as synonymous with "permanent ownership." The StudioCanal affair demonstrates how fragile such a conviction can prove when distribution rights come into play.

Sony's choice also comes at a time when other industry players are also accelerating towards digital. Rockstar has already confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will not be distributed on disc, while rumors indicate that the next Xbox might also forgo an optical drive, possibly introducing tools to convert part of the physical library into digital licenses.

For the industry, digital represents a more efficient and profitable model. For users, however, a reflection is opening up that is destined to last for years: when everything passes through accounts, licenses, and online servers, the very concept of possession risks becoming increasingly relative. The physical disc not only guaranteed material support but also a form of autonomy that the market now seems intent on definitively leaving behind.

The same thing happens with VOD/SVOD platforms, which arrogate the right to add and remove works, cut blocks of series seasons, or even wipe out entire franchises depending on subscriber demand statistics. This is why many, starting from the United States, have returned to collecting physical media, so as not to find themselves in the same conditions as those who purchased StudioCanal titles via PlayStation, which in a few weeks will go from a liquid to a gaseous state.