Sony Clears Up the Confusion Over Its 2028 Disc Production Numbers

Sony has clarified that its disc production will decline by 10% in 2028, not to 10%. The confusion started with something Sony DADC chief Dietmar Tanzer told an Austrian broadcaster in July about the Thalgau plant, which outlets read as output falling to a tenth of current levels; but that's not what he meant. Sony DADC told Game the real number is a 10 percent decline, not a decline to 10 percent:

"To clarify and avoid any misleading information: in that statement Dietmar anticipated an overall product volume decline by 10 percent, not a decline down to 10 percent," said a spokesperson with Sony DADC.

"So, there will be reorders going to the market after January 2028," the Sony DADC spokesperson said (via Game). "For details around that I would ask you to liaise with the PR team from PlayStation, as we can't speak or comment on their behalf."

Analyst Daniel Ahmad has suggested the shift away from discs is less about manufacturing costs and more about margins: Sony reportedly nets around $21 from a $70 game sold through the PlayStation Store, roughly double what it earns on the same title sold at retail.

The Game's Brian Crecente also shared the words of Shawn Layden, Game Industry Strategic Advisor and former chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, who said that the upcoming times without physical discs are "depressing, but solvable," and compared the situation to the unexpected comeback of cassette tapes, vinyl, and physical books, which regained their popularity despite the digital counterparts displacing them at first. Layden also raised a broader question about what ownership even means once physical media disappears, pointing out that if you've never been able to resell a digital library, it's unclear whether you ever truly owned it in the first place.

Following Sony's decision to end physical disc production, a petition named "Don't Kill the Disc: Tell Sony to Keep Physical PlayStation Games" asked the company to reconsider its plan. A Dutch consumer group also filed a lawsuit against Sony over alleged high prices on the PlayStation Store.

Recently, the company announced a customer harassment policy protecting its employees from backlash caused by its decision.