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The video game console helped launch the disc-based gaming revolution in 1994.
In a major change for the video game industry, Sony PlayStation said it will end production of physical game discs in January 2028.
From then on, purchases of new games will only be possible to make on the PlayStation Store, in a digital format from retailers. Sony announced the change in a post Wednesday morning.
“This is a natural trend for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the overall preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” the company wrote. “This transition will enable us to more closely align with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
The move marked the end of an era, as the PlayStation was the console that helped popularize video game discs in the first place. Although it wasn’t the first console to use it, the PlayStation’s immediate success in 1994 turned the disc into the media of choice for video game consoles from that point on, eventually sparking a battle between gamers with Microsoft’s Xbox (Nintendo, meanwhile, was always squiggly while others were squiggly, sticking to cartridges).
The news from Playstation comes just days after Rockstar Games announced its upcoming title Grand Theft Auto VI (the most anticipated game in years) will be digital-only, much to the chagrin of longtime fans.
However, Sony’s decision indicates that it is not a one-time decision, but potentially the future of video games as the web knows them.
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