- Sony has announced that they plan to end production of physical game discs in January 2028
- The move has angered gamers with a petition calling on the company to reverse the decision gathering more than 250,000 signatures
- Major UK second-hand retailer musicMagpie warns it could lead to higher prices and fewer choices for shoppers
Last week, PlayStation maker Sony announced it would end production of new game discs in January 2028 in response to demand for digital releases “significantly” outstripping physical ones. The move immediately angered gamers, with some pledging to stop buying PlayStation products altogether and creating a petition urging the company to change its mind.
The petition has now amassed nearly 250,000 signatures, prompting massive UK second-hand retailer musicMagpie to weigh in.
Its in-house physical games expert, Alex Black, warns that Sony’s decision will lead to higher prices and fewer choices for shoppers: “If the industry moves away from physical media altogether, consumers will have fewer opportunities to shop around for the best price or recoup some of the cost of new releases by trading games in.”
Alex Black
Alex Black is media category manager at musicMagpie and has several years of experience working in the used entertainment market. He is responsible for the company’s video games and books categories, overseeing pricing, merchandising strategy and market analysis.
He believes the decision even risks making the hobby less accessible by pricing out those with lower disposable income. “Pre-owned games give people access to more affordable games while extending the life of physical products,” he explains.
“Customers regularly buy used games to save money and sell finished titles to help finance their next purchase. It’s a model that benefits both consumers and sustainability by keeping perfectly good products in circulation for longer.”
The retailer is also aware of the online reaction to the announcement and reckons it shows just how important physical releases are to gamers – even if Sony seems to think otherwise.
“The comments from gamers about Sony’s decision to go digital-only clearly shows that there is a huge community of gamers who still value physical ownership, whether it’s to collect, preserve or simply own something to keep, lend or resell,” says Black.
“For many consumers, buying a physical game means buying an asset that retains or even increases in value. By comparison, digital purchases are tied to licenses and different platforms, meaning consumers have less flexibility in what they buy.”
Sales data from musicMagpie certainly indicates that there is still some demand for physical titles. Over the past year, the retailer sold around 360,000 physical video games, more than 157,000 of which were for PlayStation systems.
Even if musicMagpie takes a stance that can win over gamers, it may already be too late for Sony to change course. The company has already taken steps to recycle the historic PlayStation factory that produced 24 billion discs, while industry analysts say digital sales are “just too lucrative” to ignore.
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