A New Report Suggests that Sony's Controversial Decision to Kill Off PlayStation Discs Could Destroy the $7.2bn Used Game Market
Dataintelo said pre-owned games, hardware and accessories made up the 2025 market, with North America accounting for 36.8% of revenue.
- PlayStation will discontinue disc manufacturing by January 2028, a move placing the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market in jeopardy. The shift marks a fundamental transition for consumers relying on physical media for affordability and trade-ins.
- Analysis by Dataintelo, cited by CNBC, valued the 2025 second-hand market at $7.2bn, with North America dominating at 36.8 percent of revenue, followed by Europe at 28.3 percent and Asia Pacific at 24.6 percent.
- Wedbush Securities managing director Michael Pachter warned "Brick and mortar game retail is doomed," while Morningstar director Kazunori Ito cautioned that players prefer transitioning "at their own pace, rather than having it driven by the end of physical discs."
- Retailers like GameStop, Amazon, and Decluttr face significant disruption, while the decision impacts consumers in growth markets including Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, which witnessed the biggest expansion.
- The move implies the upcoming PS6 will lack a disc drive, supporting only digital copies. Reports indicate Xbox has not confirmed if its next-gen Project Helix will abandon discs, though it may enable players to digitize existing physical collections.
26 Articles
26 Articles
'Brick and mortar game retail is doomed' — Analysts report $7.2 billion second-hand game market could be in danger thanks to Sony's plan to retire the production of physical discs
Dataintelo reports that the used video game market is worth $7.2 billionThe firm thinks that Sony's decision to end the production of discs will cause it to declineAnalysts say the market will "keep shrinking and eventually disappear"The second-hand video game market could be in danger as a result of Sony's decision to end production of physical discs starting in January 2028.A new story from CNBC included analysis from market research firm Data…
A new report suggests that Sony's controversial decision to kill off PlayStation discs could destroy the $7.2bn used game market
The second-hand video game market stands in jeopardy in the wake of Sony's decision to end the manufacturing of PlayStation discs by January 2028. The market, which analysts estimate is worth $7.2bn globally, could be destroyed as a result of Sony's controversial move.
Sony’s decision to stop producing physical disks for PlayStation games as of January 2028 continues to generate intense debate within the industry. While thousands of players continue to show their rejection on social networks and claim the continuity of the physical format, a well-known figure in the industry believes that responsibility does not fall solely on PlayStation. It’s Chet Faliszek, a screenwriter for titles like Left 4 Dead and Port…
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