Sony is killing discs – and showing us why it’s a bad idea

The future of video game security just got bigger. This morning, Sony announced that, starting in January 2028, the company will no longer produce PlayStation CDswhich means that from then on you can buy new PS5 games digitally. At the same time, Sony also announced that it will go start downloading PS3 and PS Vita digital storeseffectively explaining one of the most important issues with the digital future of sports: When the stores are gone, so are the games. It is a major problem in maintaining the medium.

In many ways, both announcements seemed inevitable. It is clear that consumers have – although not completely – switched to buying games on the computer. According to Sony the most recent financial results from Mayapproximately 80 percent of PS5 games sold are digital. Meanwhile, last week, Grand Theft Auto VI software Rockstar Games announced that when the next GTA appears in stores in November, it will just be a code in the boxwithout a disc.

Digital games are another convenient option for gamers. You can schedule downloads in advance, keep a large library of games on one computer, and take advantage of regular sales. There are other well-known problems, such as the inability to sell used games or simply share with a friend. According to the publisher, digital games are very profitable for Sony and its contemporaries, who no longer have to deal with the costs of producing discs.

But the most hidden cost of digital transformation comes in the form of video game storage. Considering the complex nature of consoles and the constantly evolving nature of the game, protecting it is extremely difficult. Back in 2023, the Video Game History Foundation said 87 percent of classic games — defined as anything released before 2010 — he was “very dangerous.” Why was 2010 low? This is where digital marketing became popular, which portends a big challenge for the future. “Our experience in collecting data for this study suggests that these problems will only increase over time due to the slow release of content and the long-term volatility of digital game storage,” the report was read.

The closure of digital stores is not unusual, of course; two years ago, Nintendo has closed its Wii U and Nintendo 3DS stores. And while you can (for now) download games you’ve already purchased, this shutdown means that the titles on the store are no longer available to anyone else. If you buy a 3DS right now, you have no way to play classic puzzler BoxBoy.

In the past, this may have seemed like a minor issue, as the number of digital games on platforms like the Wii U and PS Vita was limited. But it’s the whole medium going digital, plus industry-shaking giants such as GTA VIthe problem is very well known. Starting in 2028, every PlayStation game comes with an expiration date; Once the PS5 digital store is disabled, many games are simply unplayable. This does not mean small digital games, but also big blockbusters.

There have been ways to reduce these problems. Most modern games now allow you to carry your digital library across all devices – Xbox has put a lot of effort into this – and on PC the GOG store has it an entire program dedicated to making old games playable on modern hardware. These are important and important efforts, but they are not enough on their own. For one thing, much still falls through the cracks; Mobile games, for example, are very popular, but they usually don’t have any protection efforts outside of fan projects. What is also important is that these efforts depend on the interests of the platform holders. Once they close the store, or stop trying to make the game playable on multiple generations of hardware, the game will no longer be legally playable. (This isn’t just a game problem, by the way; streaming changes have the same effect on film.)

Physical media is not the best way to solve these problems. Discs and cartridges wear out over time, and often require special equipment to use. But they only give gamers and developers more control over how to collect, share, and store these experiences, without fighting the demands of console manufacturers like Sony. It’s already difficult to try to keep old games alive – in 2028, the problem is only going to get worse.