In early July, Sony announced that it would stop publishing games on physical media starting in 2028. For two months, this decision was actively criticized by players, who even organized a “boycott” of PlayStation products. After Gamescom, there were rumors that Sony might reconsider its strategy based on information about the Xbox.
Xbox plans to store games on discs
At Gamescom, game industry representatives and journalists, According to Spanish Eurogamer reportsAfterwards, Microsoft actively discussed its strategy for Xbox Project Helix. According to rumors, the company plans to make its next-generation console “100% physical game-ready,” meaning it won’t do away with discs. Here are quotes from the podcast:
Microsoft is rumored to be in internal negotiations with all publishers, saying their next consoles will be “100% physical” with the ability to convert game disc copies into digital games. Microsoft is said to be telling developers that its upcoming console, Project Helix, will be entirely physical.
Let’s remember that this week Xbox officially launched its disc-to-digital feature, which allows owners of physical Xbox One and Xbox Series X games to transfer them to their digital libraries without having to repurchase them. Internal testing of this feature will begin next week, August 31st.
Playstation may change its mind
Against this background, there are also rumors that the Xbox strategy may force Sony to reconsider its plans. If Microsoft does retain full support for discs in its next generation of consoles, Sony risks losing an audience of gamers who like to buy games on discs. This sparked rumors that PlayStation might reconsider or delay its move away from physical media in the context of Microsoft’s decision.
Reporters also claimed that a “major” game developer approached Sony about its “big project.” According to rumors, he said that without Sony guaranteeing physical release of the game, the studio would refuse to release the project on Playstation and would only release the game on Microsoft and Nintendo platforms. There’s no information yet on who that developer is, but reporters note that we’re not talking about Rockstar.