Sony’s planned shift away from producing physical discs for PlayStation might be unpopular, but new sales data has highlighted the stark business reality behind it.
According to analyst Mat Piscatella from Circana, who references the company’s Retail Tracking Service, only two PlayStation video games have managed more than 10,000 physical sales in the US during the week ending on the 11th July.
For a more macro perspective, only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 physical copies this year-to-date (meaning from the 1st January until today) in the US. While this is focused on one global market, it is one of the largest in the video game industry by revenue spent. As such, consumer trends there have considerable influence.
These statistics were posted in response to outrage online that has been consistently levied at Sony since the company announced its intention to cease physical disc production in January 2028. This vocal campaign has even flooded onto social media posts for developers making games for PlayStation, even those that will come on a disc, such as Insomniac’s latest Wolverine, the latest cinematic trailer for which was soaked in snarky comments.
As of writing, Sony has shown no inclination to concede any ground to this uproar. Industry experts have spoken at great lengths about the decision, pointing to both the smart business sense behind this decision, as well as the wider consequences of its implementation to consumer rights and to other valid concerns. All the while, even government superpowers like the European Union seem unable to intercede – Sony is free to sell games in whatever format it likes, for good or for ill.
Even so, the fire behind these complaints from physical video game lovers seems unlikely to die out any time soon. Perhaps an old idiom is relevant here: sometimes you’ve got to put your money where your mouth is.
