After Sony recently announced that it would completely stop releasing physical versions of PlayStation games in 2028, it triggered a strong backlash from players. Many people threatened to cancel PS Plus, refuse to buy digital versions, and even launched boycotts. However, analysts believe that Sony has actually been mentally prepared for all this, and it is almost impossible to change its decision in a short period of time. Now it is just waiting for this wave of public opinion to pass.
Sony already knew it would be in trouble
According to GamesRadar, market analysts pointed out that Sony had anticipated a strong backlash from players before making a comprehensive digital decision, so its current strategy is to “wait for the storm to pass.” The reason is simple. The digital version not only saves physical production, logistics and retail costs, but also has complete control over game pricing and sales channels. The profit for the company is much higher than that of the physical version, so there is not much reason to look back.
No matter how loud the opposition is, it may be difficult for Sony to change its mind.
Although many players are worried that without physical discs in the future, game collection, second-hand transactions and preservation will be affected, but analysts believe that as long as most players still choose to buy digital versions in the end, Sony will have no pressure to change its strategy. After all, digital versions have long accounted for the vast majority of PlayStation game sales, and the market trend continues to develop towards full digitalization.
It can only be said that what players are most afraid of now is not that they can’t buy the disc, but that when they want to go back and collect it in the future, they find that the option has long been silently taken away by the official. As for who will win in this “physical vs. digital” battle, perhaps Sony already has the answer in mind.