The industry blasts PlayStation for abandoning physical format: “It’s an attack on consumers

The UK's main retailers association criticises the decision to eliminate disc releases.

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The decision by PlayStation to stop publishing games in physical format from 2028 continues to generate reactions within the industry. In addition to the criticism from numerous players, one of the most important voices in the retail sector in the United Kingdom has now joined in, considering this change to be a significant setback for consumers.

The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), an organization that represents distributors and entertainment retailers in the country, has publicly shown its rejection of Sony’s strategy, defending that the physical format is still a highly valued option for millions of players.

The ERA defends the value of the physical format

The association’s CEO, Kim Bayley, has been particularly forceful in evaluating PlayStation’s move. Bayley believes that millions of players continue to opt for physical copies because they offer advantages that digital format cannot match:

PlayStation’s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice.

Among these advantages, she highlights the possibility of sharing games with family members, lending them, reselling them, collecting them, preserving them in the long term, and continuing to use them even years after purchase. In contrast, she recalls that a digital license is often subject to the platform’s conditions and does not guarantee the same freedoms.

A debate that continues to grow

The ERA’s statements come at a time when the future of the physical format is once again at the center of the debate. As more and more companies bet on digital distribution, associations, retailers, and part of the community continue to defend that both formats should coexist so that the consumer can choose how they want to buy their games.

For now, Sony has not responded to these criticisms, but the statements from the UK’s leading retail association reflect that the debate over the disappearance of the physical format is far from over and continues to generate concern beyond just the players themselves.