Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden emphasizes Sony's significantly larger global market share. Eliminating physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their user base.
Layden highlighted that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries (U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). Conversely, Sony's dominance extends across approximately 170 countries worldwide. He questioned the feasibility of a disc-less model, considering the potential for connectivity issues in less developed regions, impacting players in rural areas of countries like Italy.
He further cited examples of market segments reliant on physical or offline gaming, such as traveling athletes and military personnel stationed on bases with limited internet access. Layden suggested Sony is likely assessing the impact of abandoning these groups, weighing the potential loss of market share against the benefits of a fully digital platform. The crucial question, he posed, is determining the acceptable level of market attrition before transitioning to a disc-less model.
The debate surrounding disc-less consoles has intensified since the PlayStation 4 generation, fueled by Xbox's digital-only console releases. Both PlayStation and Xbox offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), yet Sony has remained hesitant to fully embrace a disc-less future.
AnswerSee ResultsThis is partly due to Sony's approach of offering disc drive upgrades for even their digital-only consoles, including the PS5 Pro. However, with the rise of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Games Catalog, the future of physical media remains uncertain.Physical game sales are declining, and many major publishers are releasing games requiring internet connectivity for installation, even those distributed on physical discs. Examples include Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla (likely a typo, should be Assassin's Creed Valhalla or another title) and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, both needing online access for installation. This trend effectively transforms what were once second discs (install and play) into downloadable content. As physical discs become less critical, the industry's reliance on digital distribution continues to grow.
