While physical media’s decline has been a talking point for years, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI announcement is practically fuel on the fire. As the long-awaited sequel’s code-only “physical edition” is available for pre-order, gamers and physical retailers are abuzz with thoughts on the matter. Just when you thought there might be a lull in that discussion, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it will be discontinuing physical media. Which has prompted The Daily Show alum Trevor Noah to weigh in, with a case for nostalgia that makes perfect sense.
Sony Playstation Is Going Full Digital In 2028
A recent Playstation blog from Sid Shuman, Senior Director at Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, is the source of this controversy’s latest twist. Per the company’s official statement, the future of physical copies of Playstation games now has an expiration date. More specifically, Sony will cease to produce physical discs for new games, starting with titles set to debut in January 2028.
Sony’s company line cites how “consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs” as a precedent. This choice, meant to “align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today,” certainly comes at an interesting time for the digital media community.
Recently Kotaku noted that the Playstation Store will revoke all digital licenses to StudioCanal films as of September 1st, effectively deleting movies like Terminator 2 from player’s libraries. Also Rockstar’s response to GTA VI’s digital-only release may be at odds with the “consumer preferences” line, as the company may have confirmed an actual physical release is coming down the line. Which brings us to noted Psyduck stan Trevor Noah, and his case for why digital-only releases are a bad idea.
Trevor Noah’s Counter To Sony Invokes Practical Nostalgia
While there are some who think Sony’s digital-only release strategy actually is the better option in gaming, Mr. Noah isn’t one of them. Taking to Twitter with his reasons why, the Daily Show hosting alum began his case as follows:
…for a lot of gamers physical discs are the only way they could afford to play games because they could get them secondhand. You can also give games to your younger siblings. Which is a great way to introduce them to the games you were playing.
As someone whose family still has copies of games reaching as far back as the original Nintendo, I truly take Trevor Noah’s sentiments to heart. Our library of Playstation games speaks to this fact as well, seeing as we have copies of the original runs of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, and other landmark titles – readily available to share.
That second point is something Noah also brought to the table, as the final piece of his message loops right back around to the recent issue with StudioCanal:
Most importantly though, as we saw from PlayStation this past week, if the media we buy is only digital, it can be taken away from us at a moment’s notice with no recourse. Imagine that, one day your entire library of games could be deleted overnight because technically you don’t own it.
The world of digital retail will always be a battleground between convenience and ownership. While that fight seems to be leaning in the favor of the former, the latter concern may help turn the tide in the end. As that struggle pertains to Grand Theft Auto VI, we’ll see how that pans out in the months to come – as we approach its November 19th release date. For further updates on this story, as well as all things in front of your controller, keep your browser tuned to THS Gaming News!
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