Sony Group CFO Lin Tao confirmed during the company’s Q1 FY2026 earnings briefing that PlayStation physical disc production will cease in January 2028, describing digitalization of content as the primary driver and stating the company will “cautiously move this forward” despite acknowledging “strong views” from the community. She noted that games connect to “people’s fond memories” and that Sony wants to explore engagement in a future digital ecosystem, but the plan itself remains unchanged after a month of organized backlash including petitions and social campaigns. Tao explicitly stated that backlash has produced “no impact on our business” so far, with digital sales already comprising the large majority of content transactions and no negative revenue effects expected from the transition.

The decision applies to new game manufacturing rather than existing inventory or backward compatibility, and Sony indicated physical packaging may continue in some markets as empty boxes with download codes. Lin Tao, who oversees corporate planning and control including the disc manufacturing business, framed the shift as part of a broader industry move beyond PlayStation alone. The company announced the cutoff one-and-a-half years in advance following internal deliberation on supply chain and market realities.

Quarterly results showed overall Sony sales growth of 8.2% year-over-year to 2.837 trillion yen with operating income of 476.5 billion yen, though the briefing offered no specific PlayStation hardware or software sales figures tied to the disc announcement. Retailer and player attachment concerns were noted without altering the timeline or scope of the production end. The CFO’s remarks positioned the change as a spreadsheet-driven inevitability once digital revenue dominance was established.