In July this year, Sony announced that it would no longer release disc-based Playstation games starting in 2028. The next generation of Sony’s consoles is also expected to have no disc drive. Against this background, players are calling on Xbox to retain these discs, but Microsoft’s position on this issue is still unclear.
Sony was heavily criticized for its decision to abandon discs. However, former Square Enix business development director Jacob Novak believes Sony’s shift to an all-digital model could benefit gamers. According to him Characterwhich could increase competition among publishers and lead to more frequent discounts on the Playstation Store.
It’s competition among publishers, not competition among digital stores, that puts pressure on prices. This is because publishers set the price of digital stores.
Competition between stores like EGS and Steam tends to increase developers’ share of revenue, but doesn’t necessarily lower prices for players.
If you look at the price dynamics of FF16 on Steam over time. You can see how the minimum cost gradually decreases. It’s declining because, competing with other games, the project is naturally under price pressure.
This trend will accelerate the more the Playstation Store shifts to a digital-only format. As competition among publishers increases, you’ll see more sales and dynamic pricing similar to what’s available on Steam.
Meanwhile, the former Square Enix head stopped short of claiming that Sony’s rejection of physical media will automatically lead to lower prices. His findings are based on possible changes in market structure and publisher behavior as Playstation further shifts to digital sales.
