‘Removing discs doesn’t represent progress’: UK retail group condemns PlayStation decision to stop making discs

The UK trade organisation for physical and digital entertainment sales has criticised Sony’s decision to stop making disc versions of PlayStation games.

Sony announced earlier this month that it will stop producing physical discs for all PlayStation 5 games starting in January 2028, and that only games released in 2027 or earlier will be able to reprint physical discs.

Now the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) – which defines its role as “championing the retailers and digital services who connect music, video and games creators with UK fans” – has condemned the decision (as reported by The Game Business), saying it harms players and retailers.

“PlayStation’s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice,” CEO Kim Bayley said in a statement.

“Every year, millions of gamers still choose to buy physical copies because they value true ownership. A disc can be shared with family, traded in, collected, preserved and, crucially, still played years from now. A download licence often offers none of those freedoms.”

According to the ERA – whose partners include Game, HMV, Asda and Morrisons – consumer data shows that a quarter of those under 25 use discs, and the total disc-based games market was valued at over £300 million last year, “demonstrating that there remains a substantial and committed audience for boxed games”.

“Retailers see this demand every day,” Bayley added. “Physical games continue to bring people into shops and give consumers real value through gifting, collecting and resale. The industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices.

“Digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them.

“Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry.”

Last week a European Union commissioner said that Sony and other game companies can’t be stopped from axing physical game discs and making future games digital-only.

Michael McGrath, the EU commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, explained that game companies were free to offer games in whatever form they chose, as long as they were compliant with the law.

Although a petition urging Sony to change its mind has now reached 300,000 signatures, the company’s largest production site in Austria is already preparing to move away from manufacturing discs. Sony has has invested around €30 million in new equipment designed for making optical microlenses instead, and has already started training its staff to work on it.