ShadowRJ

@Oram77 It probably is for Mega Man and Ace Attorney....

That's it. For now at least.

I fully expect it to be the end goal, for games to be software that we just rent from our televisions.

Hopefully the Switch 2 will receive enough support that the collector in me is still kept satisfied.

@LikelySatan You could crouch walk, but not slide or crawl. I think it was done that way to balance the PSP games' more basic AI and level design.

@Oram77 OI! THIS POST DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH PHYSICAL GAMES, STOP MOVING THE DISCUSSION AWAY FROM THE TOPIC OF THE ARTICLE

(joking of course, I was just having a little fun )

@TrollOfWar If that is the case, then I implore Sony to come up with a solution that at the very least is better than a code in a box, even if that is just a memory stick in a box. I agree that they're probably trying to tank the PR backlash, but I don't think it's going to go away as quietly as Sony hopes.

@TrollOfWar Thanks for informing me, I wasn't aware of any of this. Still, I believe that Sony will need to let us transfer our licences onto some sort of physical object in order for the backlash to die down. If GOG can do it, PlayStation can too.

@belmont @wildcat_kickz The idea I’m trying to come up with is a way to keep a way for users to make their own versions of Doom the Dark Ages basically. You’ll still need the disc to be able to run it, which can be ran via external USB drive, but it helps physical collectors keep their hobby alive.

In my scenario, delisted games would still be re-downloadable, as the disc would essentially re-download it the way a pre purchased digital game work.

I’m aware that you want to convert physical to digital, but I’m trying to come up with ways to keep physical alive. And honestly, I don’t see how you can have true digital ownership unless you’re given the freedom transfer the game onto a physical platform in some way.

@wildcat_kickz Problem solved number 1: Physical collectors will still be able to collect.

Problem solved number 2: If for some reason, a licensed game gets delisted from the PS store, storing the license onto a disc will provide some way to be able to obtain the games (not perfect, it’d work like a more restrictive second hand market, but it’s better than nothing).

Problem solved number 3: It would actually allow physical discs for games that would normally not get physical editions without the need for boutique publishers.

I agree it’s not perfect, but it’s at least a middle ground.

If I was Sony, I would simply announce the ability to transfer licenses (not the games, the license) onto physical discs. That would at least solve most of the problems people have with this, and will stop their trailers from being bombarded on a daily basis.

@JoDoMac the issue is that whilst yes, more customers prefer digital, those who do buy physical tend to be the more hardcore audience that like to buy stuff. Therefore I’d argue that it’s within Sonys best interest to find some kind of compromise to appeal to gamers like us, because I think all of us want to go back to talking about the games themselves.

What Sony need to do is to find some way to appeal to physical purchasers in some form.

All I’m asking for from Sony is to give us the ability to transfer physical licenses onto a disc. Not even the game itself, just the license. Then specialist markets can sell boxes, and there would be at least some way to purchase games that have been delisted.

Is anything I’m asking for unreasonable.

While that is good to hear, I fear there are going to be some games that are supposed to come out in 2027 get delayed into 2028, and face a massive backlash as a result.

@ButteredCrumpet I agree that there are disadvantages to physical too. That, there's no doubt with. What I personally want to see is either boutique publishing, or the ability to transfer a digital license (not the game, just the license) onto a blank disc.

@Rich33 That is an incredibly optimistic view on the situation. Call it a gut instinct, but I can't imagine any business not going "hey, Rockstar are charging £80 for GTA 6. Why aren't we doing that."

@Rich33 That is not a positive in the slightest. Removing the second hand market means that that there is no alternative market to stop pricing games at £80. In fact I expect there to be LESS discounts on games, not more.

And it won't have any effect on games being launched in a complete state. That's due to having to launch during specific financial quaters, not because of discs.

@Almost_Ghostly But you would've needed to have bought them.

@Almost_Ghostly But what happens if you didn't download them beforehand for whatever reason?

You're screwed.

To be honest, that Christopher Dring comment doesn't alarm me that much. There weren't any big releases last week other than AC4 Resynced (was that even last week?) so I wouldn't expect tens of thousands of games to be sold in just one week.

@t0nyth3t3rrific In fairness, that Destiny 3 petition has been out longer

@PuppetMaster I suspect a lot of indies will still get Switch 2 cartridges. OlliOlli was a fairly early PS4 disc. I bought it off of Amazon back in the day.

@Ed_Zeppelin I can think of three ways in which Sony can adress this and help reduce the anger, without having to pivot TOO hard.

1. Allow boutique publishers to print their own physical discs, and have them be playable.

2. Instead of codes in boxes, have boxes that come with cards or USB sticks that you need to plug into the PlayStation in order to make them run.

3. Allow users the ability to transfer the launch capability of the game onto a disc if they so choose to.

@PuppetMaster Most indies which are even vaguely popular have physical releases nowadays. Sometimes they come out at launch, other times you have to wait a bit.

I own copies of Super Meat Boy, Bloodstained ROTN, OlliOlli, Hi-Fi Rush, Penny's Big Breakaway, Neon White, Yooka-Replaylee, Prodeus, Stray and Kena Bridge of Spirits all on PlayStation platforms alone. I'd have even more if we counted Nintendo indies.

@KoopaTheGamer To me the most interesting part of the data is the percentages (not included in that tweet for whatever reason).

Splits seem to average around the 20% physical mark, but Ghost of Yotei actually had over 30% physical.

@Fyz306903 digital still has those faults though. The argument may have some drawbacks to modern physical games, but It’s not exactly a sales pitch to convert to digital.

@Fyz306903 Most PS5 games can be played off the disc without the need for updates. Those games are in the minority.

@Fyz306903 I can answer that one. Yes, but I never buy indies at launch. Haven’t touched Silksong yet. Looking forward to in October though.

@species owning games physically isn’t just about the ownership of it. It’s about having it in your hands, the ability to use it, the fact that it actually exists as a product and not as a string of data you can’t see.

It’s hard to explain, but there’s a sensation to physical you can’t get with digital.

@species have they?

@TensuraFan7 do we have any sales data for that?

@Kienda I’m with you mate. There’s no logical reason for us enjoying things the way we want to enjoy them. We just do.

@species which is fine. I’m not demanding everyone joint a cause they don’t truly believe in. I’m also not so delusional that I’m demanding Sony to fill up stores again. What I personally want to see is for Sony to license the discs out to boutique publishers.

@tempest984 How many of those games were sold in the US? I’d love to see digital vs physical splits across different regions across the globe.

@get2sammyb Another question to add, how many blockbuster releases actually came out this year? RE9 and James Bond? 2026 has had plenty of good games, but how many big mega blockbusters have come out?

Not saying the numbers would suddenly go up, but take a game like Pragmata. It may have sold 100K physically, but did it sell more than say 500K digitally?

@species it is possible to fight for both. We shouldn’t be fighting for one or the other.

@Bizzy there’s precedent when it comes to superhero games. Activision had the Spider Man licence last, and all their games are delisted from digital storefronts.

The one potential way to view the data is that we don’t know by how much the games sold above 100K. Did RE9 sell 120k physical, or 900k physical?

@Oram77 Sorry my friend, but I will be fighting till the bitter end…

And by fighting, I mean moaning on Push Square probably.

Interesting data. Are we even presuming that those seven games even came out from this year?

@GirlVersusGame @JohntheRaptor @GamingGod It seems as if Breakpoint has redeemed itself after its rather disasterous launch. Good on the developers for managing to achieve that.

@truerbluer Ooh, was that when Watch Dogs 1 was supposed to launch in 2013?

Quality of life updates are always good. I wouldn't necessarily use them to hype the game up as having more content on the way, but they're still nice.

And yeah, if you're interested in playing anything else other than GTA 6 this November, you might want to install and update that game ahead of time.

@GamingGod @FinneasGH Hold on a second here. Breakpoint? Have I missed something since launch, because I thought that game was supposed to be terrible.

I'm not the most familiar with Ghost Recon, but I enjoyed Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 on PS3, because it felt like a more strategic shooter. Movement was slow, you had to rely on CPU allies to flank enemies, you needed to use gadgets to identify and target specific enemies. It was a very methodical game, you couldn't just go in guns blazing.

To the best of my knowledge, Wildlands is just your typical Ubisoft open world game. Am I wrong in that assessment?

@Shaibaan still nowhere close to Sony’s percentages yet. Even if it’s a different countdown, I’ll wait until that countdown ends to start my Nintendo rantings.

@Shaibaan if the change is irrelevant to you, than that’s fine. I’ve been buying almost exclusively physical since forever, so for me, this is far from irrelevant.

Ditching PlayStation and moving to Steam will be pointless for me. What’s the point in moving to a digital only platform just to go to another digital only platform. I’m probably going to stick with Nintendo and see where it goes.

All I hope for is that these changes are being made with the people of these countries in mind, and not thinking about potential players from Europe or the US trying to exploit loopholes to get cheaper games.

@LogicStrikesAgain thank you. Truth be told, it’s been hard not to get involved in a screaming match these past weeks.

@ButteredCrumpet Do I think Sony will change their terms and conditions? No, I don’t.

Have I been this vocal about ownership rights before this news? No. I had no reason too. I am a 99.9% physical gamer, who has never purchased a digital PS4 or PS5 game.

The reason I’m fighting hard for this, is because I like my physical games. I like my shelves of games, and I hate the entire concept of digital entertainment. It’s far less of a piece of art and more of a product. At least that’s how it is for me.

@LogicStrikesAgain An apology would be a good place to start. “Sorry for the way that we made that post, we didn’t realise that there was this much passion from our audience, we will be assessing our plans for the collectors market and reveal it at a future date.”

They do have to mean it of course, but it would help smooth things over.

And as for waiting to hear what their plans for the digital market place are before complaining….no. I don’t have any faith that Sony are going to change anything drastic for the PS Store, so I’m not going to give the. The benefit of the doubt.

@LogicStrikesAgain this is reminding me a lot of the early 2010s

Personally speaking, this whole attitude is outdated. If the physical/digital split is as big as they’re saying, the used game market should not factor much into the equation at all. Indeed, I don’t think even physical gamers are trading their games in as much any more.