DatGuyDave

● Professional procrastinator
● Mainly tweeting about videogames & movies
● Recovering ice cream addict
● I say no to chocolate daily, it just doesn’t listen.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

I am grateful to have lived long enough to see this. 🥲
It's truly beautiful... 🌴☀️🍹 #GTAVI

[Rockstar Games @RockstarGames]

Here we go again.
Watch Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 Now on YouTube: https://t.co/T0QOBDI4qM

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@Coinvo I've already switched to Xbox earlier this month.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

The answer is the corporate greed

[NBC News @NBCNews]

Movies still come on Blu-ray, music is still pressed on vinyl and books still fill store shelves. But as Sony moves to phase out physical PlayStation releases, many gamers are asking why video games should be the first major entertainment medium to go all digital. https://t.co/FagoUG3JVU

[id Software @idSoftware]

A message from id

[Santa Monica Studio – God of War Laufey @SonySantaMonica]

We can confirm God of War Laufey will be available on disc.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@idSoftware You are the only studio I truly care about. I grew up on your games. I will always support you.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

Hey @XBOX and @asha_shar ,
my grandma heard about what you did to @idSoftware . She says that wasn't very nice of you. You've made her really upset.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@PlayStationIN Hey Sony, my grandmother heard that you're done with physical discs. She says it's not very nice of you.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@mousethegame The Goats

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@shinobi602 This is the studio that literally got me into gaming. I grew up with their games. Man, I'm so sad. End of an era.😔

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@asha_shar @XBOX Of all the studios you have, you shouldn't have touched id Software. This is devastating.

[John Romero 🤘🏽 @romero]

I’m so sorry for everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs.

I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It’s a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history.

The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people.

A note on digital preservation: id's history is critically important to the history of games. I’ve preserved id’s complete early history from our start at Softdisk through to August 6, 1996, including materials and assets that, as far as I know, id itself no longer has. I hope someone is doing the same for the company’s ongoing legacy (the work, code, assets, stories and the people behind them).

I’m thinking of everyone at id today, and everyone else affected by yesterday’s layoffs. Romero Games was there a year ago. I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you.

[David Hayter @DavidBHayter]

Oh yeah.

#NoDiscNOBUY
@PlayStation

[Tyrone Magnus @TheTyroneMagnus]

💯

[Rino🚀 @RinoTheBouncer]

Here’s what “Digital-Only Gaming” means🚀

✅If your account is hacked/lost/suspended, you lose the games you paid for

✅If the PSN (or any service network) is down, you can’t access games you paid for

✅If you change your region, by their terms, you need to create a new account because they have no account region change or transfer, so you lose the games you paid for

✅If you don’t use your account for 36 months, you lose the games you paid for because Sony, by their terms, will take steps to close your account

✅If you aren’t connected to the internet, you cannot access the games you paid for

✅If a digital license expires or any falling out occurs between the digital storefront and the game’s studio/publisher, you will lose access to games you paid for (like they removed 500 movie purchases without compensation just 2 weeks ago)

So if you consider this “the future” and “the evolution” cool, enjoy! Not everyone likes to be c**ked by corporations and scammed for their money, over things they bought and paid for.

A video game you bought that can be taken away anytime, is no different nor less serious than a refrigerator, a piece of clothing, a car or a hairdryer that you bought, and somehow the manufacturer can switch off from their end without compensation.

FIGHT FOR PHYSICAL GAMES🕹️
NO DISC. NO BUY💿

[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.

[DatGuyDave @DaveSurmik]

@playspine You have a deal!

[NikTek @NikTek]

The importance of physical dics explained by Sony themselves, 13 years ago.

[Domino's Pizza UK @Dominos_UK]

BREAKING NEWS

[Rino🚀 @RinoTheBouncer]

Refuting dumb arguments against physical games🚀

🗣️“85% of players buy digital”

✅15% or even 5% in this industry is still millions of people bringing in hundreds of millions of not billions o revenue

🗣️“Netflix and Spotify ended movie and music Blu-Rays and CDs”

✅Movies are still being sold on Blu-Ray and 4K UHD Blu-Rays, and music is still released on CDs, vinyl records and even collectible cassette tapes that actually work, despite being far smaller and less demanding than video games which can go over 100GB

🗣️“I haven’t bought a physical game for 10 years! It’s obsolete”

✅Your experience with games does not automatically reflect everyone else’s. If you don’t care, don’t get in the way

🗣️“It’s expensive to make games on disc”

✅Games won’t be cheaper when man all digital. You will pay the same price for a glorified rental that can be taken any time due to licensing agreements or account loss/suspension

🗣️“You’re too broke, you want to buy second hand and resell games”

✅Being a bootlicker to corporations that don’t know you exist, does not make you any less broke than those you accuse and posture in front of behind a keyboard

Physical games should always be an option. Video games are far more than just a file to download or “access” to gain. They hold sentimental value to players and collectors.

Raise your voices, players, game makers, gaming and memorabilia stores. Let us overturn this predatory decision!

Video games are an art form, not just a business and the value players hold for them should be honored and not reduced to a code to redeem and a download to revoke😎

[Pyo 5️⃣ @mrpyo1]

It's time for a change, speak up against Sony and Playstation.

Push back the death of physical media, it's time to unite the whole gaming community to one common thing. Don't accept, SAY NO TO DIGITAL ONLY FUTURE

This includes everyone, USE YOUR VOICE!!!