'A Triumph of Corporate Convenience Over Consumer Choice' — Backlash to PlayStation Killing Discs Intensifies as Retailer Association Slams Sony

A retailer association has heavily criticized Sony’s decision to stop releasing physical discs for PlayStation, arguing it removes consumer choice from gamers.

Sony's controversial move means all new PS5 games launched from January 2028 onward will be digital-only, a trend likely to continue with the PS6. The online backlash has been loud and clear. A high-profile petition urging Sony to reconsider has surpassed 300,000 signatures, and in recent days, PS5 users have taken to social media to share screenshots of canceled PS Plus subscriptions.

The Game Business reported comments from the UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), which called Sony’s decision “a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice.”

In a statement, Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, said their data shows that 25% of under-25s use discs for gaming, and physical media should remain an option alongside digital.

"PlayStation’s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice," Bayley said.

"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 license often offers none of those freedoms.

"ERA consumer data shows that 25% of under 25's use discs for gaming and the total disc-based games market was valued at over £300 million in 2025, demonstrating that there remains a substantial and committed audience for boxed games.

"Retailers see this demand every day. 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."

ERA’s board members include representatives from Amazon, the remaining UK video game retailer GAME, HMV, and other brick-and-mortar and online shops. The CEO’s comments join a growing chorus calling for Sony to reverse its decision, which has dominated discussions since its announcement last week.

However, analysts have told IGN that a U-turn is unlikely. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, suggested that even if half a million people canceled their PlayStation Plus subscriptions in protest, it would be just a drop in the ocean for Sony.

"I sympathize with physical media fans, but Sony will not reverse this decision," Toto told IGN. "They of course knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass.

"Sony has over 120 million active PlayStation users," he continued. "Around 50 million people subscribe to PlayStation Plus. As a thought experiment, let's say 500,000 cancel in protest, that would be just 1% of that business gone – of course not enough for Sony to start rethinking. Digital is just too lucrative."

For Sony, going all-digital for new game releases will earn it more money per sale at a time when console sales are expected to plummet due to rising costs. For a first-party PlayStation game like The Last of Us, Sony keeps only about 65% of the revenue from a physical copy, with around 30% going to the retailer and roughly 5% to manufacturing. For a physical copy of a third-party game like Activision's Call of Duty, Sony gets a licensing fee, likely around 15%.

For downloads, margins are much higher. For a first-party game sold via Sony's PlayStation Store, the company keeps 100% of the revenue. For third-party games like Call of Duty, Sony takes a 30% cut (roughly $21 for a $70 game).

Sid Shuman, Senior Director at Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, said in a PlayStation Blog post that the decision was "in response to shifting trends in consumer preference."

"This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs," Shuman continued. "This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."

Piers Harding-Rolls, games industry analyst at Ampere, said data backs this up, noting that a lot has changed over the last two generations. "Console gaming is the last hold-out for physical media in the gaming sector, but physical product has been declining in importance," he said in an Ampere post. "Back in 2013 when the PS4 launched, Ampere data shows that only 13% of total full games unit sales for Sony consoles were digital (including digital-only games). Fast forward to 2025, and this digital share of full game purchases stood at almost 80% of the total.

"Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games, and game preservation, however the purchasing trends of gamers are clear."

One analyst said fans of physical media had their chance and blew it, so there’s no going back. "If gamers and preservationists had bought more physical games, Sony wouldn’t have seen the digital sales ratios that justify this decision," Robin Zhu, a games analyst at Bernstein, told the Financial Times.

"Digital game sales carry essentially 100% incremental margin… the cost of the physical package, shipping and retailer margins can be more than 20% of sticker price."

Meanwhile, government authorities seem unlikely to prevent Sony from going through with its decision. Over the weekend, the EU said it was powerless to stop Sony – or any company – from killing discs.