Sony’s decision to end physical PS5 game disc production from January 2028 is not up for debate — and the company’s CFO made that unmistakably clear this week. As we covered when the announcement landed in early July, the countdown for physical game buyers has already begun. Now Sony has doubled down: the pushback has not moved the needle, financially or strategically.
What Sony’s CFO Said at the Q1 FY2026 Earnings Briefing
At Sony Group Corporation’s Q1 FY2026 earnings call, CFO Lin Tao addressed the community reaction head-on. Her message: the plan is moving forward regardless. “We put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this, and we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward,” as reported by Siliconera. She acknowledged hearing the community: “We have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us.” Acknowledging views and acting on them, however, are different things.
Asked whether the backlash is actually hurting Sony’s bottom line, the CFO was blunt: “At this point in time, we are not seeing any impact on our business,” as relayed by Push Square. The explanation is the same one that drove the decision in the first place — the majority of PlayStation content sales are already digital, so removing the disc changes little in revenue terms.
The Backlash Has Been Real — Just Not Financially Felt
That does not mean the community has been quiet. A Change.org petition titled “Don’t Kill the Disc: Tell Sony to Keep Physical PlayStation Games” had collected over 352,940 signatures by 31 July 2026. On social media, there has been talk of PS Plus subscription cancellations and purchase boycotts. PlayStation players are also organising a platform-wide “blackout” from 23 to 30 August — a coordinated week where participants commit to stopping all PlayStation spending. Sony is watching, but it is not blinking. The company is forecasting a record-breaking fiscal year and has assessed the protest’s financial impact as negligible.
Physical Boxes Will Still Exist — Without a Disc Inside
There is one partial concession for physical collectors. The CFO confirmed that physical game boxes will continue to be sold in North America, housing a digital download code rather than a disc — following the model already used by titles like GTA 6. Whether that code-in-box approach extends to Singapore and Southeast Asia has not been confirmed. For local buyers, that means the possibility of a future where no physical option of any kind — disc or otherwise — is available locally. Sony has yet to address this question for the Asia market.
What Singapore Physical Game Buyers Should Know
January 2028 is roughly 18 months away. New physical PS5 game discs continue to be produced through to that date, and local game retailers will keep stocking them in the meantime. The preowned market will continue beyond 2028 as well — disc-based PS5 games will circulate through second-hand channels long after Sony stops pressing new ones.
The longer-term concern for Singapore gamers is what a disc-free library means for ownership: no reselling, lending, or buying used physical games going forward. Sony’s view is that this reflects where most players already are. Also approaching: the PS3 and Vita PlayStation Stores close worldwide in July 2027, trimming the accessible PlayStation back-catalogue further. The trajectory is one-way. For Singapore gamers who prefer physical, the next 18 months are the window to buy what you want on disc. Stay up to date with our Game Industry News coverage for any further developments.