Albatr🚽

I've done a bunch of things video games industry related. Allegedly both indie and AAA, used to teach gamedev stuff too...

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@BBTTTMM @Gento_o7 Le simple fait que ça soit inévitable et que ça arrivera à un moment c'est un souci en terme de préservation sur le long terme. Et avant que t'arrives avec le même argument que tous les autres bas du front, le piratage c'est une solution, mais ça ne devrait pas être la seule.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@BBTTTMM @Gento_o7 Fermer des serveurs pour des machines qui pour certaines ont dépassé les 20 piges et qui coûtent du pognon c'est pas un scénario catastrophe, c'est un truc inévitable. C'est pas parce que ça n'arrivera pas dans la minute qui suit que ça n'est pas un problème.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

Daily reminder to immediately dismiss ball and gun "gamers" opinions as soon as they are posted online.

[ᴱⁿᴰ Kronuz @itzKronuzz]

@CarpetInTheRoom Single player games are for losers

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@captainjel30365 @XRPee1983 @EditoMZ @Sony Step1: Head to https://t.co/fwkTdErBx8
Step2: Look at the stats on the right
Step3: Notice that more than 90% of the games they tested (they tested a lot) can be played offline, and 70% do not require a download
Step4: Stop being a dumbtard consoomer online and educate yourself

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

Another day, another larping normie's delusional take on video games.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@jsvtlow @omxr76 Literally anyone working on a game has, or can have access to either the editor version, or a build of the game, directly or indirectly if needed.
That's not even up for debate, you're just a normie consoomer who thinks they know anything about gamedev. Source: I work in AAA.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

Lastly, the issue is not selling digital games in itself, but the lack of choice and competition. Allowing retailers to sell codes in boxes is only a minor temporary fix to a gigantic problem.
But you're all too retarded to see it and won't do shit unless you're affected. (4/4)

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

The account posting this is retarded, BUT.
You're throwing away your own rights for the smallest convenience possible of "not having to get up and switch disks" (takes 10 seconds top), and having disks take up space (I live in a small apartment and still manage to do it). (1/4)

[Pirat_Nation 🔴 @Pirat_Nation]

Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida thinks Sony’s decision to stop making physical discs is not a big issue

"Personally, I'm a totally digital consumer," "I don't want to manage discs or swap discs. I want all my games on my dashboard, and I just select a game and play it. So, I'm completely digital."

He also questioned whether the end of physical games is really such a big issue “Even with physical disc games, in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway.”

He says physical players still need to download “new patches, DLC, or updates,” so he said, “not having a disc, I don't understand if it's such a big issue.”

He also understands why some players are worried “It would be a shame if physical games were no longer available to collect.”

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

On top of that, prices will likely increase, despite what that clown ex Square-Enix guy is saying, it will likely never happen, since most games are actually underpriced currently. You won't be able to buy secondhand anymore also. (3/4)

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@DoesItPlay1 I should have said "what Sony's execs think is most profitable for them" tho.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@DoesItPlay1 By this guy's logic, since Sony is doing what is most profitable for them, which we can understand to some extent, consumers are also entitled to push for what is most beneficial for them and reject what objectively harms their rights. That's plain and simple power struggle.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@DoesItPlay1 Ah, yes, the good old non-argument of "this is only logical for them to do X in terms of business, therefore we should all accept it even if it is objectively bad for us as consumers".

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@Retro_NGamer @nuhre_ Also you can download delisted games, as long as the download servers are up (they can be decommissioned at one point and they WILL be), but you can't buy them anymore, even though you have the hardware to run them that is perfectly functional. Doesn't happen with physical games.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@rocky7586 @Retro_NGamer @nuhre_ I literally make games for a living, but thanks for trying to teach me stuff. Talking about servers staying up forever is bold ngl, specially after those for the PS3 just shut down. Also you can play in offline mode, except at one point in time you will need to re-authenticate

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@rocky7586 @Retro_NGamer @nuhre_ Hey look! There's another one of these technologically illiterate people that think servers will run forever. Let's point and laugh.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

@GoodTribeGaming @DeeGeeGames2009 That dumbtard doesn't realize he's also on the losing side, we're all on the losing side if we lose physical media, less choice as consumers, Sony/publishers having the monopoly on how and how much they sell games for. No more second hand market also. But hey you're "winning".

[Gene Park @GenePark]

cutting physical media cuts costs only for the company. they get to save on production, design, shipping and still charge the same thing with nothing being passed on to the consumer

[Does it play? @DoesItPlay1]

Everyone is talking about the digital-physical-split percentages. So we will too!

The TL;DR: Most of what has been parroted about consumer preference is wildly exaggerated at best, or a mix of a bad faith campaign and severe negligence at worst.

Sony has announced the death of physical media because of "changing consumer trends". Most of us can already smell the bullshit it in this fake excuse. It is when we take a closer look that we discover just how much of a lie that statement really is.

Let's start by scrutinizing the most repeated number lately: 85 % of sales are digital.

This number exists. But in what context?

It comes from the Fiscal Year Q4 report for 2025. ONLY IN THIS QUARTER did we get this number. The overall percentage for the entire year 2025 is "only" 78 %.

Still sounds bad. Where is the lie, then?

It comes with what both sides include. The digital part also accounts for digital-only games. AKA products which didn't give a choice to the customer. You could either add to the digital tally or not play these games at all. This alone should show you how they use statistics to deceive the public.

But we are not done.

If you look at honest comparisons, like those we got through the infamous Insomniac leaks in 2022, or certain market reports from the UK more recently, you will find games that even sell predominantly physical. Many of which are Sony's own first party titles. So their games sell more physical copies, but they still dare to use consumer preference as the excuse.

Not convinced?

Let's look at the even broader picture. Researching online we can find an infographic illustrating the development of the physical-digital split over the years. Admittedly, there is a constant decline for the physical share. Abysmal even in the years up to 2020. HOWEVER, in recent years the year on year decline has slowed down and has almost reached a stable plateau.

Oh, and have we mentioned that the vaaaaaaast majority of all players own a console that can read discs? 82 % is the number floating around online. We take a page out of Sony's book and just run with it for now. Only, let's add that even the other 18 % might not be digital-only die-hards. After all, there were times when both the disc console and the detachable disc drive were sold out at some point.

What would you say does that show about consumer preference?

Less than 18 % actually prefer digital.

Just with a little research we have come from "85 % prefer digital" to "less than a fifth of the customer base actually does".

So why does Sony push for a change? You know by now. Money!

Multiple areas they benefit in in an all-digital future:

1) Margins for digital games are simply better. The save the entire overhead for physical production, logistics, customer service/returns, retailer cuts, etc.

2) This is the big one: The death of the second hand market. Or at least they think that's beneficial, if they ignore the facts that second hand buyers can also contribute to digital revenue, and they help with discoverability/word of mouth advertising. We wouldn't be surprised if this comes back to haunt Sony.

3) Pricing monopoly: They set the prices. They decide discounts. They decide the number of sales that happen, if any.

The key word is REVENUE!

Because that is another great opportunity to play with alarming numbers. The revenue percentage split between digital and physical makes the gap look even wider, of course. Despite selling almost 70 million physical copies, that area generated relatively low revenue. It accounts for only a little over 10 % of the revenue generated by game sales.

That's the moment when "reliable" analysts and "quality" media could formulate headlines like "Physical media is dying - Makes up only 10 %". But that's not alarmist enough. They can do one "better".

You might ask, "But DoesItPlay?, why do I see people claim that the gaming space is over 95 % digital?"

Let's reveal the most evil trick of them all, shall we?

Let's take a look at that FY 2025 report again. The overall category is called "Game Software". In here (and subsequently in the blogs of the anti-physical crowd) the biggest lie materializes. "Game Software" does not only include digital and physical game sales. It also accounts for ANY TYPE OF ADDITIONAL CONTENT (expansions, in-game currency, microtransactions of all sorts) and "Other Software", which is not even specified as to what that could be exactly. If we now lump all of this together and check the percentage of physical game revenue, we land at roughly 4,7 %.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the single biggest gaslighting this industry has pulled on you when it comes to lying about consumer preference.

It was never about consumer preference. It was about maximizing profits and control over what should be rightfully yours after a purchase.

[Albatr🚽 @Albattr]

Still can't wrap my head around the fact that there are so many losers cheering for the loss of physical games on Playstation. It's ok to buy digital if that's more convenient for you (it's not what's best for consumers tho) but being happy about losing consumers rights is insane