Sony ending PlayStation disc production after 2028, FGCU gamers react

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Sony announced that PlayStation will stop producing physical game discs after 2028, marking a major shift in the gaming industry.

The decision comes as the industry continues moving toward digital downloads. WINK Sports Reporter Lauren Halpern spoke with Southwest Florida gamers about the change.

Lifelong gamers say game discs are nostalgic.

"I liked pre-ordering my games to get a little bonus physical trophy or something with it, and now it's like, oh, when I pre-order a physical game, it's just a code," said Slate Freeman, president of FGCU ESports.

Freeman has been gaming since childhood, starting with a Nintendo DS. He said he is opposed to the shift away from physical media.

"I am very opposed of it. I love physical media," Freeman said.

Players say the gaming landscape has changed. Most games today are downloaded with a click of a button.

"One of the ways I started gaming is with older cousins. They would just give me copies of older games that they don't use anymore that I could just have, and it was free, so it's interesting that that won't happen anymore," said Liam McElduff, vice president of FGCU ESports.

The decision raises questions about pricing. Nathan John, a sophomore on FGCU's ESports team, said he has seen game prices increase.

"I've seen like the prices of games actually go up because before they're like $60, and now like we have Switch they've gone up to like $80," John said.

Newer PlayStation and Xbox consoles are already being sold in versions without disc drives, making them less expensive upfront but committing players to buying digital games. FGCU's ESports team said they understand why the industry is going digital, but they believe something is being left behind.

"I think it means for future gaming is that they're going more towards a digital space. I don't think it's a good thing though, because there's a lot of people that would like to play a game and then they complete it and then they want to sell it back or something like that. You can't do that with a digital copy," John said.

Despite the changes in how games are purchased, students at FGCU say the best part of gaming has never been what's in the console. John said meeting others with similar interests at events is what makes gaming enjoyable.

Freeman said hosting events and watching others improve is one of the best feelings. Digital gaming may be the future, but for these gamers, it's who's sitting next to you that matters most.