Sony isn't going to give up Blu-ray movie and game discs

Sony has announced that it will stop producing consumer recordable Blu-ray discs BD-R, but the decision will not affect commercial Blu-ray discs that are sold with games and movies.

Here's What We Know

The reduction in disc production staff will take place at Sony's Sendai Technology Center plant, which produces recordable discs such as CD-R, DVD-R and BD-R for the Japanese market. However, standard Blu-ray, 4K UHD discs, as well as discs for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, which are produced at Sony's separate DADC (Digital Audio Disc Corporation) plant, will continue to be produced, distributed and sold worldwide.

Despite the proliferation and growing popularity of streaming and digital media, physical media will remain an important part of the market. In Sony's gaming segment, sales of digital games exceed sales of physical games, but not enough to completely eliminate Blu-ray game disc production.

In fiscal year 2023, which ended 31 March 2024, 86 million physical PlayStation Blu-ray game discs were sold compared to 200 million digital games.

The gaming segment remains one of Sony's most profitable and largest sources of revenue and as long as consumers continue to buy tens of millions of physical game discs per year, the company will likely continue to produce these lucrative products.

Source: Tweak Town