Jonathan Fotis just expanded his Clearwater video game store to 3,000 square feet. Now Sony is telling him the product that fills those shelves has an expiration date.
Sony Sets a 2028 Deadline for Physical Discs
PlayStation announced July 1 that it will stop producing physical game discs in January 2028, shifting all new titles to digital-only sales. For Fotis, owner of M&M Video Games at 511 S. Hercules Ave., the decision threatens the used-game trade that keeps independent retailers alive.
"At any moment the digital store can pull the license from online, which means they will just make it so that it's completely unavailable," Fotis told Bay News 9.
Why Used Games Cost Less Than Digital Downloads
The math is simple: a used physical game might cost $15 or $20 at Fotis' shop. The same title on PlayStation's digital storefront rarely drops below $40, he said. Once discs stop being made for new releases, fewer used copies will circulate over time, squeezing the affordable options Clearwater shoppers rely on.
Sony's earnings data shows digital games already account for 78% of total PlayStation sales, and the company makes more than eight times the profit on a digital copy compared with a physical one, according to Bay News 9's reporting. Analysts say the shift threatens a global secondhand gaming market valued at roughly $7 billion, according to CNBC.
"Brick and mortar game retail is doomed," Wedbush Securities managing director Michael Pachter told CNBC in July.
A Growing Local Chain Faces a Shrinking Supply
GameStop has already closed more than 1,300 locations over the past two fiscal years. M&M Video Games, founded more than 15 years ago, operates stores in Clearwater, Tampa, Port Richey and St. Petersburg. The Clearwater location relocated within its plaza in February to a space nearly three times its previous size, according to a company press release.
Sony Says It Will Proceed Despite Backlash
Sony CFO Lin Tao acknowledged "strong views" from the gaming community during the company's July 31 earnings call but said the plan will "cautiously move forward," according to IGN.
Boycott and Petition Push Back Against the Shift
Gamers aren't staying quiet. A consumer boycott called #PSBlackout, organized by game-preservation account Does It Play?, asks PlayStation owners to log out, power down and make no Sony purchases from Aug. 23 through Aug. 30. More than 345,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging Sony to reverse course, TechTimes reported.
Existing discs will still work on PS5 consoles with disc drives, and games already released on disc before January 2028 won't be affected. But for Fotis, the long-term picture is clear: fewer new discs means fewer trade-ins, which means fewer affordable options on his shelves.
Sony began printing warning labels on new PS5 boxes in early August notifying buyers of the 2028 cutoff.
The #PSBlackout boycott begins Sunday, Aug. 23.
