Entertainment
PlayStation’s “Heartbreaking” Physical Games Decision Draws Major Industry Response
PlayStation has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons of late. Last month, Sony delivered a harsh reminder that there’s no such thing as “ownership” in the digital age when they announced users would lose access to over 500 StudioCanal movies and TV titles they purchased through the PlayStation Store after their licensing agreement with the studio expires. More recently and alarmingly, given that action, however, the company decided it would end production of physical games in January 2028. It’s a crushing blow for physical media collectors who want to live without the fear that the things they purchased could be wiped away in an instant at a corporation’s whim.
For developers and publishers, however, it’s similarly disheartening to know there is a future where their games may never physically exist on PlayStation. A proper disc, or, in the Nintendo Switch‘s case, a cartridge release, is a bit of a badge of honor for indie titles, showing there’s enough of a demand from fans to warrant creating something they can put on their shelves. Publishers like Lost in Cult and iam8bit have made businesses out of preserving games and creating high-quality collectibles like vinyl albums of their soundtracks and books that dig into their development. “As a company on a mission to preserve video games, we are deeply saddened by the recent news from PlayStation on ending physical disc production from 2028,” the former wrote in an official statement on X in response to Sony’s move. “We aim to do everything in our power to preserve video games to the best of our ability and will continue to do so for as long as we can.”
Since the announcement, more voices from throughout the industry have spoken out about the move away from physical games, with fears for the future of the medium and personal disappointment for their own titles. Among the most prominent names to come forward is Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, who decried the decision for PlayStation as “genuinely heartbreaking,” reflecting on their own experiences. The Game of the Year-winning RPG originally released digitally only, but later released a lovingly crafted deluxe edition that included the actual disc with additional DLC alongside plenty of physical goodies for collectors. He called the work “both my pride AND quite literally my joy” and considered the cost more than worth it for all the people who loved it.
‘The Binding of Isaac’ and ‘Animal Well’ Creators Speak Out for Physical Games
Independent developers Billy Basso and Edmund McMillen also spoke to the personal side of the shift away from physical games on social media. Basso, who created the puzzle adventure darling Animal Well, lamented the thought that “I’ll never release another physical game for PlayStation,” while the Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and most recently, Mewgenics mastermind McMillen expressed hope that more outlets like Lost in Cult will continue to pick up the slack where PlayStation has faltered. “I collect physical media and will always find a way to release my games physically,” he wrote. “The fact is, if mainstream publishers stop, independent boutique publishers will continue making collector’s editions that will be way better anyway.” Whether that will even be possible in the future is up in the air as more consoles are being eyed as digital-only without a disc drive to begin with.
The outcry over PlayStation’s decision has reached some pretty high-up places. Recently, 2027 French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon weighed in on Sony’s move and the recent news that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch without a physical disc on social media, saying that games were “cultural assets, and the law in force must apply to them.” He believes the issue of preservation will need to be addressed at the highest level, both for the preservation of culture and the protection of consumers.
“With GTA 6 without a disc in 2026 and Sony’s announcement of the end of physical disc sales for games in 2028, the question arises of how we view these products. Tomorrow, you will pay without owning anything. No loan, no resale, no guarantee of keeping what we’ve paid for.”
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the future of PlayStation and the video game industry as a whole.
- Released
-
August 3, 2023
- ESRB
-
M
- Developer(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Franchise
-
Baldur’s Gate
You must be logged in to post a comment Login