PlayStation Chief Predicts Future of Physical Media in Gaming

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden highlights Sony's significantly larger global market share. Eliminating physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their customer base.

Layden points out that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries, unlike Sony's widespread global dominance. He questions Sony's ability to provide sufficient digital access to players in regions with less reliable internet infrastructure, citing examples like rural Italy. He also mentions the reliance on physical games among specific demographics, such as traveling athletes or military personnel stationed in remote locations. Layden suggests Sony is likely assessing the potential market loss associated with a disc-less console.

The debate surrounding disc-less consoles has intensified since the PlayStation 4 generation, fueled by Xbox's release of digital-only consoles. Both PlayStation and Xbox offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), yet Sony has resisted a complete shift to digital.

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This hesitancy is further underscored by the fact that even Sony's digital-only PS5 consoles, including the PS5 Pro, can be upgraded with external disc drives. However, with the rise of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Games Catalog, and the declining sales of physical media, the question of disc-based games' long-term viability remains. The trend of games requiring online installation, even those distributed on physical discs (as seen with titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), further complicates the issue. The practice of including what was once a second disc as downloadable content highlights the shifting landscape of game distribution.