Written By: Luis Vox
When it comes to technology, things will always move forward, regardless of whether we like it or not. With that in mind, it seems our digital overlords aren't done punching us in the gut. Sony, through their official PlayStation Blog, has announced that starting in January 2028, all games will become digital on PlayStation moving forward. This means there will be no more physical games to load into your consoles, and our gaming shelves are going to get a lot lighter.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Rockstar announced that the "physical" version of GTA 6 will be a case containing a digital game code. They claimed this is to prevent people from breaking the street date, playing the game early, and/or ruining the experience for others. Sony claimed their choice was due to consumer trends. Just when it seemed as if this current generation of consumers was beginning to understand how important it is to have ownership over the products we buy, the companies in control still decide what they think we want. This will ultimately kill off the used and trade-in market as a whole if Microsoft and Nintendo decide to follow suit.
As many industry experts have already mentioned with the news of GTA 6 going digital only, it must be pointed out that we would now be forced to pay whatever the digital storefronts decide, since they are effectively eliminating the second hand used market. The competition of discounted prices would no longer exist.
There's also the impending fact that developers/publishers sometimes lose rights and licenses for a multitude of reasons. Games then become de-listed from storefronts. The consumer loses the content and their money. Sony has already removed over 500 films from their digital library, with zero communication as to whether a credit or refund will be given.
Obviously, we here at Truly Disturbing are all about physical media and collecting games, movies, comics, action figures, and whatever else we can try to fit on our dwindling shelf space. With the PS6 coming soon, it may or may not come equipped with a disc drive at all. If it doesn't, it won't even be able to play PS5 discs through backwards compatibility. Here's hoping they at least make the decision to license physical production to boutique companies like Limited Run Games and 8Bit Games and, at the very least, keep the disc drive as an option.
We definitely want to hear your thoughts on this matter. Do you even care that physical games are starting to go away? Is your collection mainly digital or physical? Do you think this will make collecting games harder and more expensive? Sound off in the comments and let your voice be heard.