PlayStation's physical media cull is destroying gaming’s greatest Christmas tradition

Thanks to recent controversial decisions by the likes of Sony PlayStation and Rockstar Games, one of the greatest feelings of Christmas has all but been destroyed.

No matter your age, if you’re reading this right now, then there’s a good chance you know the feeling of unwrapping a Christmas present, knowing that one of your most highly anticipated video games is going to finally be played in mere minutes.

You may have waited weeks or months to play this video game, and there’s a good chance that the likes of GTA VI will be on many Christmas lists this year. You hold the Blu-ray-shaped present in your hand, unwrap the paper, see the game you’ve been waiting for, open the case, get that fresh new game smell and then quickly scamper to insert the disc into your console.

Well, PlayStation and GTA VI will soon ruin that wonderful tradition

When Rockstars Games officially opened up pre-orders for GTA VI last month, it came with the shocking revelation that the game will not ship on disc. At the time of writing, you can either purchase GTA VI on your digital platform of choice or buy a soulless code in a box at retail. Man, that really does suck.

We don't know if Rockstar Games will be shipping proper physical copies of GTA VI later. Despite rumours of physical copies shipping sometime after release, nothing has been officially confirmed by either Rockstar Games or its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.

READ MORE: GTA 6 Pre-Orders Boycotted By Major Retailers Amid Disc Controversy

Then just weeks later, Sony received even more backlash than Rockstar Games when it announced that as of January 2028, it would no longer be shipping its games on disc, as it prepares for an all-digital future ahead of the PlayStation 6.

PlayStation going all-digital was announced alongside the pending closure of the PS3 and PS Vita stores. Not forgetting that Sony is also removing over 500 movies from gamers' libraries due to expired licenses, offering no refunds whatsoever.

Physical Discs are still a thing, at the moment

While there are still a plethora of video games that we can buy on disc right now and in the immediate future, knowing how this industry tends to work, at some point, other video game publishers will likely follow the lead of Rockstar Games and Sony PlayStation, which is sad to say.

We might not be facing an all-digital future within the next year or two, but once Sony’s devious plan comes into effect in January 2028, the impact on how we access our games at that point will most likely be taking full shape, which means that we could soon say goodbye to opening physical games on Christmas. But hey, at least the retro market isn't going anywhere, right?

Why is an all-digital future anti-consumer?

As a disabled gamer, I absolutely understand the convenience of accessing digital content. You simply press a button, and away you go without inserting a disc.

However, as we’ve seen over the years, despite having significantly less overhead costs, such as no discs to print the game on, no packing or shipping to retail, games are still being sold at the maximum RPP. Those aspects in themselves have always been anti-consumer.

Publishers and developers will also have full control over how much we pay for our content and how we access it. For example, if PlayStation games were only available on the PS Store, Sony has full control over the price with no competition, and there’s the likelihood of the game being discounted much further down the line, if at all.

Even with the “option” of codes in a box at retail, the chances are that the publisher will still have the final say on how much it's sold for, especially if the costs for the retailer to receive that content to sell have increased.

Above all else, the most anti-consumer aspect of an all-digital future is not being able to open that case and feel the delight of finally being able to pick up that disc and insert it into our console to play on Christmas day.

READ MORE: 7 Games Launching This Year That Will Have A Physical Disc, Unlike GTA 6