Sony shows hint of remorse as it quizzes developers on killing PlayStation discs

| Games News Writer Published September 25, 2026 3:49pm Updated September 25, 2026 3:50pm Will the disc drive become a relic? (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Game developers are being asked about PlayStation’s decision to ditch physical discs according to an insider, but don’t expect a U-turn. Sony’s announcement that it will no longer produce PlayStation game discs after 2027 has sparked plenty of anger from players, in the form of online protests and petitions. However, there’s been no indication from Sony that it regrets the decision. Sony addressed the backlash in July, stating that it is ‘cautiously’ moving forward. Similarly, Sony’s primary disc factory has reportedly already switched its priorities to new tech. While a U-turn seems very unlikely, a new report suggests Sony is at least starting to consider the views of others – specifically, game developers. YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead, who is known for leaking hardware specs, claims Sony sent out a survey to developers asking for feedback on the decision to kill physical discs. In his latest video, he said: ‘There is a survey Sony sent out to developers – [that’s] what I was told by my contacts – that is a bigger survey than they’ve sent almost ever before, if not ever before. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. ‘And there was a question in it basically trying to ask in a not direct way: is there an issue with how we sell games physically, or something – asking developers for feedback on killing discs.’ While there’s no other evidence to support the existence of this survey, several developers have publicly called out the decision to stop making discs. Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima described it as a ‘frightening’ prospect, while Guillaume Broche, the director behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, called it a ‘sad decision’. If this survey is true, it’s puzzling that Sony would choose to quiz developers about it after making the decision public. However, just like Sony, game developers and publishers look to benefit from the move, with digital purchases being more profitable than physical. Regardless, even if developers do come out against it, it’s unclear what Sony could do to reconcile the matter. It might let external developers print discs themselves, if they really want to, but that will likely be pretty costly for the respective publishers and there’s no sign of it happening yet. Either way, Sony could be searching for some kind of middle ground to make a bigger splash with the inevitable PlayStation 6 announcement, with the console expected to launch sometime in 2027. This could involve the planned news cashback scheme, which is currently in testing but has not yet been officially announced by Sony. Do you still collect discs? (Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Transport Fever 3 PS5 review – keeping the world moving Arrow MORE: Xbox is in freefall but all one exec can talk about is GTA 6 pre-orders Arrow MORE: Ganondorf almost got his own Zelda spin-off by Ubisoft claims report GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.