Sony Doesn't Expect Any Negative Impact on Gaming Business After Ending Disc Production

Sony does not expect any negative impact on its gaming business by ending disc production for PlayStation games, the company said in its latest quarterly earnings call Friday. The PlayStation parent also confirmed there had been no noticeable impact on business after it announced its plan to end physical disc production in 2028.

The Japanese company reported its first-quarter FY 2026 financial results on Friday where it discussed the move to end game disc production for the first time since it was announced in July. Sony said it intended to “cautiously” move forward with its plan to stop making discs for new games on PlayStation consoles despite vocal backlash from users.

Additionally, the company confirmed that had been no adverse impact on its Games and Network Services business following the announcement on disc production.

“At this point in time, we are not seeing any impact on our business as of now,” Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao said during the Q&A section of the earnings call with media, investors, and analysts.

“Going forward, a large part (of content sales) is already digitised. And therefore, as a result of the discontinuation of the disc, we don't see that there will be any negative impact on our business,” she added.

“However, as I already said, the users, the players have attachments, and we have to think about how to respond to those feedbacks,” Tao added.

Sony has previously said that its move to end disc production is rooted in the rising share of digital game sales on its platform. In its latest financial report, the company also announced that the share of full game digital downloads on PlayStation consoles stood at 82 percent in the first quarter of FY 2026. The split of digital game sales for the entirety of FY 2025 was 78 percent.

Discs Not a Factor in PlayStation vs PC

During the earnings call, the Sony CFO also said that physical discs weren't a major factor for differentiating the PlayStation platform from PC.

“We don't feel that the disc is the factor to differentiate from PC,” Tao said when asked about the impact of ending discs on PlayStation.

“Our strength is the curated content. The game environment being stable is another strength. And compared to the high-end gaming PC, our products are more affordable. So, we don't feel that the disc itself is a strong factor for differentiation. So, going forward, we can co-exist peacefully with PC games,” the executive added.

Sony will end disc production for new titles on PlayStation consoles starting January 2028. The company, however, has told developers and publishers that it will continue to make discs for older games on its platform.