Sony already begins repurposing PlayStation disc factory despite thousands of signatures to save physical media
Sony's decision to stop support for physical games from January 2028 onwards has seemingly been backed up by the repurposing of a factory that produces PlayStation discs, signalling that the tech giant is committed to an all-digital future despite fan protests.
It's safe to say that the decision to forgo physical games has not been popular in the PlayStation community, as while the majority of sales these days are made through Sony's digital storefront, there's still plenty of reasons why someone would want to opt for a disc release.
This is especially relevant news in the wake of the GTA 6 disc controversy, as physical edition copies of the game will only ship with a single-use download code, giving players no way to buy the game on the secondhand market.
One new petition on Change.org asking Sony to 'keep physical PlayStation games' has earned nearly 40,000 signatures at the time of writing, joining the barrage of criticism across wider social media — but that likely still won't be enough as plans have already been put in place.
Sony repurposes disc manufacturing factory
As reported by The Verge, Sony DADC president Dietmar Tanzer informed the Salzburg branch of Austrian national broadcaster ORF that the company would be repurposing its major disc production factory located in Thalgau.
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With the move away from physical editions of PlayStation games, that significant changes the demand for discs — of which gaming current account for approximately 50% of the factory's current volume.
As a result, the demand for gaming will drop to just 10% post January 2028 when the PlayStation change is officially implemented, prompting Tanzer to transition and retrain employees to produce optical microlenses instead.
This isn't the only place that PlayStation sources its discs, but it's the one factory that Sony owns in its entirety and where the disc-making division is currently headquartered, signalling that the decision to move away from physical editions is unmovable at this point.
Are other companies getting rid of physical games too?
PlayStation are certainly leading the charge when it comes to the eradication of physical gaming, but they don't appear to be the only ones experimenting with the transition.
Of course, PC gaming has been fully digital for around a decade now – with storefronts like Steam playing a key role in that shift – but the closed nature of console gaming offers a very different prospect.
While no official announcement has been made yet, it's expected that Xbox will issue similarly unpopular news — albeit with the potential caveat of an experimental feature that allows you to digitize your existing library of discs for the new console when it releases, as per The Verge.
Nintendo was also the first to propose a shift in how physical games are handled with the introduction of game key cards, although these still preserve the physical experience and are necessary for the storage limitations of cartridges compared to discs, and there's no sign right now that Nintendo will follow along with Microsoft and Sony.