Sony's decision to sunset physical discs in 2028 has quickly become one of the most controversial decisions the company has ever made since entering the console market with the first PlayStation. The backlash from gamers has been significant, so much so that the company officially acknowledged it had heard their voices , but it seems no form of protest may be enough to make the Japanese company backtrack, judging from a new warning sticker found on the box of new PlayStation 5 units.
"IMPORTANT NOTICE: Starting in January 2028, new PlayStation game releases will be available for purchase on PlayStation Store and through retailers exclusively in digital format. Game discs released before January 2028 will continue to be compatible with this console," the sticker reads as reported by Behind the Games on X.
Considering the time needed to prepare this warning sticker, it's clear that Sony has planned to sunset discs in 2028 for a long time . This makes it even more baffling how the company did not warn partners beforehand , potentially straining PlayStation business relationships ahead of the PlayStation 6 launch , which, in light of this decision, will certainly launch without a disc drive.
Although the death of discs seems to be written in stone, gamers are rightly continuing their protests, even planning a consumer-led PlayStation blackout from August 23 to August 30 organized by groups like DoesItPlay , with no PlayStation Network logins and no purchases from the PlayStation Store. These significant forms of protest are justified, and not only for the loss of the physical games culture that has defined gaming since its inception, but also for game preservation .
Earlier this week, a dedicated developer named Yuvi had to put together a 90-GPU server farm to recover and preserve a lost Final Fantasy VII mobile spin-off , Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII- . This costly endeavor could be a small glimpse into a sad future where servers go offline , and games could be lost forever.
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