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Shawn Layden, a former PlayStation executive, argues that when players cannot resell a game, the value of buying it digitally can feel less like ownership and more like temporary access. His comments follow reports that Sony plans to stop producing discs for new games in 2028—but the available coverage does not establish an official Sony announcement or explain the plan’s full scope.
What Layden said about buying digital games
In remarks attributed to him by Decrypt, Layden said: “It changes the conversation from: do you own a game to do you have access to a digital asset?” Decrypt also quoted him asking: “If you can’t sell a thing, that means you don’t own a thing. If you don’t own it, what are you buying? If you’re buying access, that doesn’t sound quite as sexy,”
The quotations were reproduced by Decrypt from an interview with The Expansion Pass podcast. The original recording and interview date are not established in the available coverage, so these should be understood as Layden’s remarks as reported, not independently checked transcripts.
His point is about the buyer’s perception and the practical ability to resell a purchase. It is not a legal determination of what rights come with any particular digital game or disc. A physical copy may be easier to resell, but that does not mean its buyer owns every underlying software right; likewise, Layden’s comments do not establish that all digital licenses have identical terms.
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What is reported about Sony’s 2028 plan
Decrypt reported on October 8, 2026, that Sony plans to stop producing physical discs for new games in 2028. Video Games Chronicle also reported on October 6 that Layden addressed a decision to stop making discs starting in 2028. Neither report, in the available coverage, provides an official Sony announcement or defines which games, publishers, regions, or console generations the reported plan would cover. Decrypt’s report and VGC’s coverage therefore support describing this as a reported plan—not as confirmation that Sony has announced an end to every physical PlayStation game.
The 2028 date also does not mean that discs disappear immediately, that existing discs stop working, or that every future PlayStation release must be digital. Those conclusions are not established by the reports. The evidence supports only the narrower claim that Sony reportedly plans to stop producing discs for new games from that year.
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Why the shift matters to players
Resale and the feeling of ownership
For players who value passing games on or selling them after finishing, the ability to resell is central to Layden’s criticism. A digital purchase may be convenient, but if it cannot be transferred or resold in the way a player expects, that player may see the transaction as buying access rather than a copy they can trade. The terms and practical options depend on the specific game and platform; the reports do not settle those details.
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Convenience versus a dedicated physical audience
Layden is reported as acknowledging the convenience of downloads while also describing physical buyers as a particularly dedicated group of players and collectors. That description is qualitative: the coverage does not provide primary market data establishing what share of players buys physical games. For those buyers, a change in new-disc production could matter even if many other players prefer downloading games.
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What the reports do not tell us
- Whether Sony has formally announced the plan or defined its scope.
- Which releases, regions, publishers, or console generations would be affected.
- How the reported plan would affect the availability of existing physical games or the ability to play them.
- What share of PlayStation players buys discs.
Decrypt also reported that a petition had received more than 385,000 signatures. That is the outlet’s reported count; the available coverage does not independently verify the petition page or its counting method, so it should not be treated as an audited measure of player opinion.
What disc-playing PS5 owners should check
A PlayStation 5 Disc Drive may be relevant to players who want to use physical discs, but compatibility varies by console model. Check Sony’s current official compatibility guidance for the exact PS5 model before buying or relying on a drive. An accessory for a compatible console would address that console’s ability to use discs; it would not resolve the reported question of Sony’s future production plans.
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Who Shawn Layden is
Layden is described in coverage as a former PlayStation executive and former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios. He left Sony in 2019, according to the reports. His remarks are therefore criticism from a former executive, not an official statement of Sony’s current policy. GamesRadar+’s interview coverage also discusses his broader comments, but does not establish the scope of Sony’s reported disc plan.
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