- One of the original founders of Xbox, Laura Fryer, suggests that Sony is eliminating game ownership through an all-digital future.
- It comes after PlayStation announced that physical discs for the game will not be produced from January 2028.
- Fryer claims Sony let Rockstar ‘take the pressure’ by announcing a digital-only GTA 6 first
Sony is still under fire after its latest announcement of an all-digital future for PlayStation games, as physical copies of games will be phased out, and not only are consumers furious, but so are some gaming industry veterans.
As Notebookcheck reported, Laura Fryer, one of the original founding members of Xbox, recently condemned Sony’s announcement to end physical game discs for future PlayStation games, highlighting the threat the move poses to game ownership.
Sony’s announcement has since sparked a huge backlash regarding game ownership from thousands of people online, including slight pushback (or support for physical media) from independent game developers like Astrolabe Games.
In this case, Fryer hasn’t been shy about pointing out how dangerous the end of physical game discs will be once 2028 rolls around, especially since rumors suggest Microsoft could follow a similar direction with its next Xbox console.
“Digital is convenient until someone decides you’ve had enough, and there are some games and movies I’ll never get enough of,” Fryer said, which is arguably a valid statement since Sony recently removed more than 500 purchased movies from users’ libraries.
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It’s worth noting that Rockstar Games recently opened GTA 6 pre-orders, with the announcement that there will be no physical copy of the game, which Fryer highlights as an important step for Sony’s latest plans, stating: “Sony waited for Rockstar to make the first move, take the lead, and now they’re going to do everything they can to make this the new normal.”
Fryer even references Don Mattrick’s infamous statement about an “always online” Xbox One console experience, as he suggests this is what Sony, Microsoft, and, frankly, Hollywood are doing today.
“When was the last time you put in a disc and the game ran without a big download? All the major players, Sony, Microsoft, even Hollywood, are all aligned here. Digital kills the secondhand market and prevents your old library from competing with the new games on the next console.”
That ‘always online’ future is closer than ever, and Sony will also close the PS3 and PS Vita stores in 2027. That means that when the PS6 (or future PlayStation consoles) eventually become a retro console like the PS3, there will be no way to play games on the system unless it’s through digital means, and that directly eliminates game ownership entirely.
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