Sony confirms it won't reverse disc phase out: 'We're going to cautiously move forward'

Sony will not change its mind and reverse its decision to phase out PlayStation game disc production for new software released after January 2028.

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Sony management was asked about its controversial decision to start phasing out physical game discs at the company's recent Q1'26 earnings call. Sony CFO Lin Tao confirmed that the group will go forward with its plans "cautiously" while also considering the thoughts and feelings of the PlayStation community.

In the call, Tao makes the point that digital's predominance has been building over time, especially on PlayStation where, on a software revenue basis, physical made just 8.9% of total Q1 SW revenues (when isolating physical, digital, and other software), whereas digital made the remaining 91.1%.

Tao explains in the call:

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Question #1

When did Sony announce it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games after January 2028?

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Question #2

What reasoning did Sony CFO Lin Tao give for phasing out physical game discs?

Lin Tao said the biggest reason was that the digitalization of content has been progressing overall, noting that on PlayStation physical made just 8.9% of Q1 software revenues while digital made the remaining 91.1%. He added Sony carefully considered the decision and the community's strong views, acknowledging that games are loved and tied to fond memories, and said the company wants to explore how to engage gamers in a future digital ecosystem.

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Question #3

What percentage of PlayStation software revenue was physical versus digital in Q1 according to the article?

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Question #4

Will Sony reconsider or reverse the decision to phase out discs based on community feedback?

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"There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing, that's the big factor. It's not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing.

"And so when we think about the future - and we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this - and we came to this conclusion, and we're going to cautiously move this forward. And to this decision, we have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us.

"Games are loved by many people. It is a form of entertainment that's loved by people, and it is connected to people's fond memories in many cases. We understand those emotions. We want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, 'answering the question of] 'how do we engage with gamers?' is something that we would like to continue to explore."