Phantom Blade Zero may lack PS5 disc on release date, with physical pre-orders missing
Along with S-Game showcasing a new trailer, Phantom Blade Zero pre-orders are now open. However, fans have noticed that a physical option is curiously absent. While Sony won’t reduce PS5 disc production until early 2028, some publishers could go all-digital earlier.
Buyers may see a boxed copy announced before the action-RPG’s October 29th release date. The August 17th State of Play is another opportunity to reveal additional versions. Even so, with protestors focused on the decline of physical games, they worry that more launches will skip Blu-rays.
Boxed versions may come later
One reason for hope is that Play Asia displays a retail case for the PS5 game. That said, the popular source of imports frequently uses placeholders before updating inventory.
It may not always have been the plan for Phantom Blade Zero pre-orders to be exclusively digital. Genki on social media highlighted that earlier PlayStation marketing featured a PS5 console with an optical drive. In the latest trailer, the advertisement has been replaced with a disc-less system.
Phantom Blade Zero is often mistaken for a first-party PlayStation title. Sony supported the Chinese S-Game studio at an early stage and has continued to promote its work since. Yet, Sony Interactive Entertainment is not the publisher for its next release.
That’s a key distinction because future SIE games will still employ PS5 discs. Marvel’s Wolverine and God of War Laufey are among the titles that will satisfy physical game collectors. Regardless, third parties may not wait until 2028 to complete the transition.
Harsh economic realities
Publishers already recognize how dominant the PlayStation Store has become. Sony’s statistics show that more than 80% of software purchases made between April and June 2026 were digital. With the physical market shrinking, it makes less sense to allocate resources to printing and shipping Blu-ray media.
Considering Steam’s massive appeal, PC users have already embraced the digital age. Ahead of the Phantom Blade Zero release date, pre-orders are available on Valve’s marketplace and the Epic Games Store. For now, it’s a PS5 console exclusive, to the disappointment of Xbox followers.
Add as a preferred source on Google
No comments for this article
