The end isn’t near: Sony clarifies PlayStation disc shutdown plans

Sony is not backing away from its plan to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028. But the transition may be less immediate than early reports suggested. Sony DADC, the company’s disc-manufacturing division, has clarified that its Thalgau, Austria facility is expected to see an overall production decline of 10% in 2028 — not a 90% collapse in output.

The confusion appears to have come from the interpretation of a previous statement by Sony DADC president Dietmar. An unnamed spokesperson told journalist Brian Crecente that the figure referred to a 10% reduction in total product volume, rather than production falling to 10% of its previous level.

Sony is still moving ahead with its plan to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games in January 2028, despite vocal backlash from players concerned about resale rights, long-term access and game preservation. Sony CFO Lin Tao said the company intends to “cautiously move this forward,” pointing to the continued digitalization of entertainment content.

However, physical games will not disappear overnight. Sony has indicated that publishers will still be able to place reorders for existing PlayStation games on disc after the cutoff, which could keep the Thalgau facility operating beyond 2028.

The factory is nevertheless in the middle of a broader transition. Earlier reports said Sony was restructuring the site and retraining its 300 employees for optical microlens production, though Sony DADC has not provided a detailed update on that plan.

Sony’s business increasingly depends on digital sales. Physical games generated just over $781 million for the company in fiscal 2025, compared with about $6.5 billion from digital game sales and roughly $8.4 billion from in-game purchases. Those figures help explain Sony’s digital-first direction, but physical media may remain part of the PlayStation ecosystem for longer than initially expected.