As Sony Kills Physical Games, Classic Big Box PC Releases Find New Life Thanks to GOG
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will end physical-disc production for new games by 2028, a decision that has been met with significant backlash from players. The industry is accelerating its shift toward all-digital distribution, with the next generation of consoles from both Sony and Microsoft expected to feature no disc drives.
Xbox is offering players a way to convert physical games into digital codes. Additionally, many game publishers are releasing physical boxes that contain only digital codes, maintaining a presence in retail while moving away from actual physical media distribution.
In response to the industry’s shift away from physical media, GOG, the PC game storefront, has announced a new plan to preserve aspects of PC gaming’s big box history. The GOG Preservation Program will include five games that will have more than just their code preserved, though details about the full scope of the preservation initiative remain incomplete.