Physical Media News
The latest Physical Media coverage curated for game developers.
Xbox has officially launched a disc-to-digital program that lets players convert eligible physical games into digital licenses. For developers and publishers, it’s another sign that the console market is continuing …
Ars Technica reports that Xbox is adding a disc-to-digital program that lets owners of most Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc games claim a digital entitlement by inserting the …
GamesIndustry.biz reports Xbox will start testing a disc-to-digital entitlement flow with Insiders on August 31. Supported Xbox One and Series X discs can unlock a digital copy, while the disc …
Xbox is testing a way to turn supported disc games into digital entitlements, starting with Insiders on August 31. The feature targets most Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc …
Ars Technica reports Sony is cautiously moving toward ending PlayStation game disc production by January 2028. CFO Lin Tao tied the shift to the broader move to digital distribution, but …
Sony’s Q1 gaming business was basically flat at ¥937.1 billion, but operating income jumped 37% to ¥202 billion thanks in part to US tariff refunds. The bigger long-term signal is …
Ars Technica details how a disc in the box no longer guarantees a playable game, with DoesItPlay finding that 27% of tested physical releases need downloads to work properly. The …
GTA 6’s Japan-specific download codes will expire 170 days after launch, landing on May 8, 2027. Rockstar says the cutoff is tied to regional regulations, which means Japanese buyers of …
Physical game sales in the US have collapsed from 297 million units in the 12 months ending June 2009 to 37 million in the last year. That long decline helps …
Sony’s move toward a disc-free PlayStation future could erase one of the last reliable sources of cheap physical game copies. In a price check across 19 current PlayStation bestsellers, used …
Sony will keep supporting re-orders for existing PlayStation discs past the January 2028 production cutoff, easing one immediate concern for publishers with physical pipelines. The company is also changing how …
Sony will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028, pushing future releases to digital-only. The company is also winding down PS3 and PS Vita Store …
Rockstar workers are pushing back after a wave of layoffs, while PlayStation is moving further away from physical discs and Xbox is testing a disc-to-digital path. At the same time, …
Xbox is reportedly testing a way for owners to digitize their physical game libraries, which could reduce friction for players who still buy discs. For developers, the interesting part is …
Xbox is reportedly testing a way to let players digitize select physical games, a move that would make disc-less hardware more viable. The feature is said to cover only some …
Sony says all new PlayStation games will be digital-only by January 2028, and that shift is already reflected in the numbers: 78% of full-game purchases in FY2026 were downloads. For …
Sony will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028, pushing all new releases to digital distribution. For developers, that means retail planning, manufacturing, and disc-based …
Sony says it will stop producing physical PlayStation software in January 2028, a clear sign that disc-based distribution is becoming a long tail. For developers, that means retail packaging, manufacturing …
GTA VI is reportedly breaking the current AAA price ceiling by launching at $80, with preorders opening this week. The physical edition is also unusual: the box reportedly contains a …