Sony said in July that PlayStation disc production ends in January 2028. This week an analyst put a price on what that decision leaves on the table, and the number is bigger than the "consumer trends" line suggested.
In his September newsletter, Alinea Analytics' Rhys Elliott estimates Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has done about $1.2 billion in physical revenue, 35 percent of its total. Ghost of Yōtei: 5.3 million physical copies, roughly $400 million, 37.6 percent. Astro Bot: $275 million on disc, 46.8 percent. The outlier is Helldivers 2, where physical was 8.3 percent. GamingBolt (@GamingBolt) reported the figures Thursday, September 11.
The actual reason
Elliott's read is blunt: "A disc dollar is worth less to Sony than a digital one" once you subtract the retailer cut, manufacturing and shipping, and ending discs is about "killing the secondhand market." No used copies, no GameStop trade-ins, no lending. Every sale is a full-price PlayStation Store sale, or a code in a box that behaves the same way.
He also ties it to the rumored PS6 handheld, which would be digital-only by design. Sony, in his view, is "ripping the band-aid off now" so the backlash lands on the PS5 generation instead of the next one.

What the numbers say about Sony's priorities
Physical revenue is concentrated in exactly the games Sony has been getting nervous about: big single-player prestige titles. The live-service hits it keeps chasing, Helldivers 2 being the one that landed, barely touch discs. Elliott's point is that PlayStation wants recurring revenue like FC, Fortnite and Roblox, where it only takes a 30 percent store cut, and would rather own the whole pie. See also: the Physint deal it just walked away from, which Xbox picked up.
For our side of the couch, the practical hit is the resale and lending economy. Discs are how a lot of people in the culture got their first 2K, their first GTA, off a cousin. That lane closes in 2028.
## Sources - Sony is Ending PlayStation Discs Despite Commercial Success to "Control" The Market, says Analyst — GamingBolt (@GamingBolt), Sept. 11, 2026 - Sony divorces Kojima while Nintendo... — Alinea Analytics (Rhys Elliott), Sept. 2026 - Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles — PlayStation Blog (@PlayStation), July 1, 2026

