Sony CFO Lin Tao confirms they aren’t backing down on PlayStation’s move away from physical discs. Their decision remains intact despite a wave of fan protests, online petitions, and even PS Plus cancellations
Tao confirmed this live during Sony’s FY2026 Q1 Earnings Announcement on July 31, 2026. The decision to end physical disc production for new PlayStation games in January 2028 stands firm. She said, “There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing, that’s the big factor. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing.”
Sony CFO Lin Tao says they will not change their plans to end physical disc production and will cautiously move forward with the plan!
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) July 31, 2026
"There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing, that’s the… pic.twitter.com/LPA2ix8nkQ
And so when we think about the future, and 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. And to this decision, we have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us,” she added.
She also emphasized the emotions of gamers: “Games are loved by many people. It’s a form of entertainment that’s loved by people, and it’s connected to people’s fond memories in many cases. And so we understand those emotions. We want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore.”
Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games and a well-known analyst on the Japanese gaming market, told IGN that while he sympathizes with physical media fans, Sony has no intention of reversing course. “They of course knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass,” Toto said.
Why Sony is sticking with digital
Physical game sales now make up a tiny fraction of Sony’s software revenue. In their FY2024 report, physical software accounted for just 3% of Game & Network Services revenue. Digital sales dominated the rest.
Sony keeps 100% of the revenue from digital sales of their first-party titles like The Last of Us through the PlayStation Store. With physical copies, that number drops to around 65% after retailer cuts and production costs.
For third-party games, Sony still pockets a 30% cut of every digital sale. With over 125 million active PlayStation users (as of March 31, 2026) and roughly 50 million PS Plus subscribers, even a large-scale protest of 500,000 cancellations would only represent about 1% of that business.
Fan backlash continues to grow
That hasn’t stopped the community from pushing back. A petition launched by PNP Games CEO Jade Pearce is sitting at 352,708 signatures at the time of writing, with supporters arguing that physical discs offer true ownership. “A disc is a real game you own,” the petition reads. “You can lend it, trade it, resell it, gift it, collect it or pass it down to your kids.”
Critics also point to preservation concerns. Digital licenses can be revoked, and there’s no guarantee that today’s downloads will remain accessible in 10 or 20 years. Physical media, they argue, offers a layer of security that digital storefronts can’t match.
It seems the PlayStation 6 might become Sony’s first home console without a disc drive, ending a tradition that began with the original PlayStation in 1994. Some fans say they’re reconsidering whether to buy a PS6 at all, with others exploring PC gaming or sticking with older consoles.
