UK retailers fight back as Sony's anti-disc numbers don't add up

Sony confirmed in July 2026 that it will stop producing physical disc versions of new PlayStation games from January 2028. The company's justification was straightforward: digital sales now account for 95% or more of all PlayStation software revenue, with discs making up just 3% of total income in 2024. But the retail industry isn't buying the framing — and the numbers they're citing are hard to dismiss.

The retail pushback

The UK's Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) came out swinging this week. CEO Kim Bayley called the decision a blow to consumer choice rather than a natural market evolution.

> "Millions of gamers choose physical copies every year because they value true ownership. A disc can be lent to a family member, resold, collected, kept for years and still enjoyed. A digital licence often offers none of these things."

Bayley went further, arguing that disc abandonment "is not progress — it simply restricts choice. It's bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our gaming industry."

The numbers Sony glossed over

Nielsen data cited by the ERA puts the UK physical games market at around £300 million in 2025. Of all physical copies sold that year, 45% were PS4 or PS5 titles — meaning Sony's own platform accounted for nearly half of the entire UK disc market. That's not a niche. That's a substantial revenue stream that disappears for retailers overnight in 2028.

The ERA statement also highlights that 25% of UK gamers under 25 still buy physical copies — directly contradicting Sony's implicit argument that younger players have already moved on.

In the US, physical game spending hit $1.5 billion in 2025, the lowest figure since 1995 per Circana. The decline is real. But second-hand game retailers — chains that depend on a steady supply of used discs — face a harder cliff edge once new physical releases stop entirely.

What this means for buyers

If you own a disc-based PS5 and buy physical games, your existing library stays playable. But from 2028, every new first-party PlayStation title will be digital-only. That means no resale, no lending, no buying second-hand to save money — and no purchase without an internet connection to download. Retailers like Game and HMV face direct inventory disruption, and the used game market will shrink as new disc supply dries up.

Sony's business logic is sound on its own terms. But for the portion of players — and retailers — who rely on physical media, the 2028 deadline is a hard stop with no announced alternative.