Sony will cease production of physical discs for new PlayStation games in January 2028 and has begun repurposing its disc factory. Xbox canceled a 2025 advertisement highlighting physical media benefits and is testing a disc-to-digital conversion feature. Industry analyses differ on the implications for ownership, labor, and consumer choice.
Sony and Xbox actions prioritize corporate margins over worker stability and secondary markets used by lower-income players.
“Labor precarity and loss of resale rights”
The shift undermines durable property rights in favor of revocable digital licenses controlled by platforms.
“Erosion of individual ownership and media preservation”
Platforms are steering consumers toward licensed access that reduces personal control and secondary markets.
“Decline of genuine ownership and market-driven choice”
All three views overstate coordination and imposed outcomes while underweighting demand-driven digital adoption and existing technical limits on physical media.
“Market data and routine testing explain the changes better than collusion narratives”
Sony Plans End to New Physical PlayStation Disc Production by January 2028 You are here