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Sony’s own financial data may show the share of physical games compared to digital is dwindling, but it still represents a significant sum of money.
And arguing in favour of retailers, UK trade group the Entertainment Retailer’s Association has predictably hit back at the platform holder’s plans to stop manufacturing physical games in January 2028.
CEO Kim Bayley told The Game Business:
“PlayStation’s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice. Every year, millions of gamers still choose to buy physical copies because they value true ownership. A disc can be shared with family, traded in, collected, preserved and, crucially, still played years from now. A download license often offers none of those freedoms.”
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There are a few points in this statement I’d counter: a growing number of retail releases require downloads these days, so even discs are not necessarily safe from preservation concerns.
Furthermore, the ERA exists to represent retailers like GAME, Amazon, et al, so it’s not exactly going to be in favour of the decision, is it? That aside, these points are perfectly valid.
In fact, Nielsen data says 45% of all physical games sold in the UK last year were for the PS5 and PS4, representing almost half of the revenue generated.
And what was Britain’s physical games market worth in 2025? £300 million (~$400 million), so a substantial sum of money all things told.
Bayley continued:
“The industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices. Digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them. Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers, and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry.”
I don’t really disagree with Bayley’s concluding points here – ultimately, I don’t think anyone’s denying the overall popularity of digital downloads, but the removal of choice is what’s really frustrating players.
Sony, of course, would argue that it needs to sell two physical discs in order to make the same amount of money as one digital download. And if the figures are skewing increasingly towards digital, then it may see this as a moment to rip off the band aid.
But I’d argue that it’s made this move far too early, and with the PS6 looking like a tough sell, it could do with as much goodwill as it can muster right now.