Ex-PlayStation Executive Challenges Sony’s Plan to Kill Discs: ‘What Are You Actually Buying?’

In brief

• Sony plans to cease production of physical game discs by 2028, maintaining that digital downloads do not constitute ownership.
• Shawn Layden, former PlayStation executive, says Sony has suffered a “significant brand hit” from this decision.
• He argues the move affects the “most faithful” gamers and was driven by spreadsheet projections rather than consumer interest.

Shawn Layden, a former PlayStation executive, has criticized Sony’s plan to discontinue physical discs for its game consoles starting in 2028. He described the decision as “heavily spreadsheeted” and said it has damaged the company’s reputation.

Gamers have strongly opposed Sony’s decision since the July announcement, with a physical gaming advocacy group calling for an organized boycott and a “Don’t Kill the Disc” petition surpassing 385,000 signatures. Despite the backlash, Sony has shown no indication of reversing course.

“It changes the conversation from: do you own a game to do you have access to a digital asset?” Layden said during an appearance on The Expansion Pass podcast. “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. And, as people tend to do, they’ll game out the worst-case scenario.”

This comes shortly after Sony argued in a California court that no reasonable consumer believes they own the digital games purchased through the PlayStation Store, according to court filings reviewed by Game File.

The argument responds to a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the store’s purchase buttons imply ownership rather than a revocable license. Sony maintains that its PlayStation Terms of Service and Software Product License Agreement clearly state that users do not own the product.

Layden, who served as President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America from 2014 to 2018, claims this stance has resulted in a “significant brand hit.” He also believes the decision was driven by spreadsheet projections showing Sony could contain costs and maximize profits.

The former executive emphasized that although only about 20% of gamers still purchase physical discs due to the convenience of digital downloads, that segment is often the “most faithful.”

“[They are] the people who buy two copies of every game. One never gets out of the shrink wrap, and you play the other one. It’s just like comic book collectors,” Layden said. “We are an acquisitive collecting sort of people, and we like to show off our stuff. Look at my stuff! So, for those reasons, I don’t agree with that decision.”

The crypto community has seized on this debate to promote NFTs as a solution to gamers’ ownership concerns. NFTs provide holders with a verifiable record of ownership, which advocates claim would prevent companies from revoking access to games.

However, NFTs still depend on public metadata and centrally hosted files, meaning users remain reliant on third parties to access what they technically own. A true solution would require encrypted metadata and fully decentralized content hosting—something many NFTs lack.

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