The news that PlayStation is ceasing physical disc production in 2028 has not only left fans shocked but has also prompted developers to voice their concerns and disappointment at the announcement. PlayStation has been making significant changes to its business strategy lately, leaving many fans upset with the direction the company is taking.
As the gaming industry continues to navigate difficult times, PlayStation has chosen to cut what many consider a core part of the gaming experience: physical discs. On July 1, 2026, PlayStation announced that it would stop producing physical game discs in 2028, leaving the platform digital-only. Fans have been quick to voice their dissatisfaction with the matter, and now developers, big and small, are joining in.
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PlayStation Ending Physical Disc Production Isn’t Sitting Well With Developers
Across Twitter, developers from studios including Larian Studios, the studio behind Baldur’s Gate 3, and Lost in Cult, the studio behind Terraria, have posted about how much physical media means to them and how PlayStation’s decision to cut disc sales negatively affects the industry. Larian’s publishing director, Michael Douse, has said he is “genuinely heartbroken,” while conceding that the physical version of Baldur‘s Gate 3 may have been stupidly expensive to produce, but at least it made people happy. Meanwhile, Bill Basso of Animal Well acclaim says he is upset he will never release another physical game on PlayStation, citing a physical release as a huge motivator for completing the game.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Across the rest of the industry, developers and publishers of games like Hollow Knight: Silksong and The Binding of Issac have expressed support for letting boutique physical game retailers take the reins if Sony no longer wants to produce physical games. Right now, companies like Limited Run Games make unique physical releases, often for indie games or for large developers that prefer to outsource them, as was the case with the Dead Space remake. A strategy like this would mirror what has happened in the film industry with 4K and Blu-ray movies, but it’s too early to tell what these smaller companies might be able to do now that PlayStation is backing out of physical releases.
However, the end of physical media in the gaming space has been a long time coming, for better or worse. It has been reported that digital purchases account for roughly 70-80% of all game sales, so the physical sales market is definitely a niche overall. And among the many other reasons GTA 6 will shake the industry, its digital-only release may have emboldened other publishers to do the same going forward. PlayStation may just be getting ahead of the game here.
Hopefully, the industry can keep physical games in some way in the future. Xbox is reportedly planning a disc-to-digital conversion system, which could keep physical sales going should Project Helix not include a disc drive at all. However, as Lost in Cult expressed on Twitter, physical media is also about game preservation, and that seems like a factor being ignored as companies continue to chase cost-cutting measures.
