Ex-PlayStation boss downplays the end of physical discs but warns collectors and used game buyers to lose out
Former PlayStation boss Shuehi Yoshida believes Sony’s switch from physical to digital media in 2028 isn’t a major issue. He says many gamers already rely on day-one patches, updates, and content updates. Nevertheless, he feels that the loss of physical media would stop gamers from trading and sharing games, especially for collectors.
In an interview with GamerBraves, which pivoted to Sony’s abandonment of physical disc production, Yoshida said he doesn’t understand why the switch from physical to digital is “such a big issue.” He also considers himself a big-time fully digital consumer.
No financial impact expected from customer outrage at PlayStation
Sony’s own PlayStation Blog post framed the shift to digital as a way to track consumer preferences, and CFO Lin Tao told investors in an August earnings call that the company would not see any negative impact on its business despite strong outrage and objections from the gaming community.
Meanwhile, the preservation database “DoesItPlay,” which had tested around 3,527 physical releases offline, found that 73% of those games needed no download at all.
Yoshida left Sony in early 2025 and wasn’t consulted before his departure, so his perspective carries weight as an outsider rather than as an official PlayStation spokesperson’s quote. In the interview, he told GamerBraves he knew nothing about the upcoming plan and presented himself as a counterexample to the heated debate over physical media.
A 'completely digital' consumer
He said, “I’m totally a digital consumer. I don’t want to manage discs or swap discs. I want all my games on my dashboard, and I just select and play them. So, I’m completely digital.”
Yoshida would rather navigate a console dashboard and select a game than keep a collection of physical PlayStation discs. However, that’s just one person’s dashboard habits and priorities compared to the broader gaming community.
Yoshida also said many physical games on disc already require day-one patches or post-launch downloads, so losing the physical disc doesn’t change much.
Yoshida continued:
“Even with physical disc games in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway. Anyone who buys a physical version still needs to download new patches, DLC, or updates. So, not having a disc, I don’t understand if it’s such a big issue.”
However, the preservation database “DoesItPlay” has already shown that 73% of physical games can be played offline without any downloads or internet connection. Beyond this, 94% of games launch and run offline in some form.
Still, Yoshida wasn’t entirely in favor of the shift to digital games. He told GamerBraves that a shift to a fully digital landscape could prevent players from buying and selling used copies of games, effectively abandoning the physical side of the video game industry. And as for collectors, Yoshida said:
“It would be a shame if physical games were no longer available to collect. For those who choose to buy or sell games, the lack of discs may become an issue.”
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