Following the recent controversial announcement that Sony will no longer be making physical games media for new games as of early 2027, the rumors that Xbox is moving in the same direction with the Helix console, and the recent trend of Nintendo physical media only providing a digital game key, the Video Game History Foundation has issued a statement addressing the move away from physical games media. In the statement, the VGHS argues that the removal of physical media is more symbolic than anything else, because, for a long time, even games that shipped as physical media have required day-one downloads in order to work properly, and that "the vast majority of video games produced over the last two decades were not made for dedicated home video consoles."

The argument is that there are currently no effective methods to preserve the game and experience that those who purchase modern games have, especially if, as the foundation puts it, "platform owners are deciding to eliminate physical media and older digital storefronts." The Video Game History Foundation is calling on the industry to collaborate and help find a viable, meaningful solution for video game preservationists and historians, because "asking museums to download a copy of Grand Theft Auto VI and hope it'll run in 50 years is not a preservation solution." The VGHF also highlights that it and other organizations like it have been fighting to change laws surrounding copyright and preservation, but those efforts have been "repeatedly blocked" by trade groups, like the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), who recently made some alarming statements in a hearing relating to game preservation .