The gaming industry is moving steadily toward a digital-only future, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s pretty obvious that not everyone is happy about it. Sony recently announced that it will stop producing physical game discs for PlayStation games starting in January 2028.
While this has drawn criticism from players and even developers who value collecting and preserving games, former Rockstar Games developer Joe Rubino believes the transition is not just inevitable but overdue.
Important updates: News on physical discs for new games – https://t.co/BzZODXdWGYNews on PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita – https://t.co/ev3mN6wj14 pic.twitter.com/PWXTZGHAh6— PlayStation (@PlayStation) July 1, 2026
Rubino previously worked on games including Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption, and Max Payne 3. While discussing the future of game development and distribution, he argued that eliminating discs could reduce costs and help the industry adapt to changing technology.
Former Rockstar Developer Believes Going Digital Is “Long Overdue”
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Regarding Sony’s decision, gamers are pointing to the loss of resale, lending, and collecting as major disadvantages. There’s also the question of preservation, as we can only wonder what happens when games are delisted or online services eventually shut down.
However, Rubino views the issue primarily through the lens of production costs. Manufacturing discs, packaging them, and distributing physical products all add expenses to a game’s release. Eliminating those processes could therefore provide publishers with another way to reduce overhead.
“I think there’s some die-hard gamers,” Rubino said to Eldorado.gg, recalling how he used to line up to purchase games himself. He admitted that there is something special about physically taking a new game home and putting it into a console. Nevertheless, he believes the industry has entered a different era.
According to Rubino, reducing physical production costs could ultimately benefit players, particularly as inflation continues to affect consumer spending. He suggested that even relatively small savings per game could become meaningful over time.
His position is supported by the broader shift in consumer purchasing habits. Sony reported in July (via Japan Times) that physical products accounted for only 18% of purchases across its games business during the March-to-June period, with digital purchases making up the other 82%. So while the demand for physical exists, digital distribution is clearly dominant overall.
The Digital Future Still Raises Questions About Ownership
Image Credit: Sony
Rubino brings up the advantages of going away from discs, but there are concerns that go beyond nostalgia. Physical copies give players options that digital purchases generally do not, including buying used games, reselling unwanted titles, lending games to friends, and maintaining personal collections.
PlayStation in 2026:– End Destiny– End physical gaming forever– End porting exclusives to PC– Completely lose Hideo Kojima– Attempt to cancel Kojima’s next Metal Gear franchise– Kojima cuts ties entirely and goes to XBOX– Force your single-player studios to make live… pic.twitter.com/BYbujTzS6D— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) September 10, 2026
Game preservation is another major concern. A physical copy will remain playable even after a publisher stops selling or supporting a title. Digital games, meanwhile, can depend on storefronts, servers, licensing agreements, and user accounts. If a game disappears from a digital marketplace, how will we access it in the future?
Microsoft has taken a somewhat different approach. In August, Xbox announced a feature allowing owners of supported Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games to claim a corresponding digital entitlement. The initiative is designed to preserve the value of existing physical libraries while providing some of the convenience associated with digital ownership.
Ultimately, digital distribution may be cheaper, faster, and more convenient, but physical games represent more than a method of delivering software. For many players, they provide ownership, collectability, and another layer of protection against games disappearing.
The disc may indeed be on its way out, but should it? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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