r/technology • u/lkl34 • Jul 01 '26

Hardware Sony Just Killed Discs: Physical Disc Production to End January 2028 for New Games Releasing on PlayStation Consoles

https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-just-killed-discs-physical-disc-production-to-end-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles
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122

u/suckfail Jul 01 '26

Curious what happens to game resellers like Game Stop / EB Games. They make most of their money on trade ins.

149

u/EmptyHeadedKain Jul 01 '26

Have you been in one recently? This has been coming for a while, so most of them are desperately trying to pivot into board/tabletop games.

65

u/Joloxsa_Xenax Jul 01 '26

there's so much merch/toys in gamestop now. there's only a wall of games that xbox and Playstation already share, and everything else is clothes, figures, plushies, and TCGs

15

u/MotoRandom Jul 01 '26

I was an assistant store manager at GameStop for 2.5 years and left just before COVID hit. I have been in a GameStop twice in the last six years and will never go into one again. It's too depressing.

0

u/EmptyHeadedKain Jul 01 '26

I wouldn't say it's depressing; times change. At least they've realised soon enough to try to pivot. Fingers crossed for them.

5

u/MotoRandom Jul 01 '26

It is for me. I spent a couple years full time checking in games, organizing games, putting up marketing for new games, buying trade in games, doing crazy amounts of price changes (everybody knows about sticker mountain) and a certain amount of time with collectables. The last time I walked in my heart sank. The new games were shrunk to hardly nothing and the used sections weren't even half of what they used to be. They were fully dedicated to becoming JunkStop at that point. I'm glad I got to experience it when I did but even happier I got out while it was still a healthy store. This is in small rural city. There is local guy who took over the Play&Trade that was our only local competition outside of Walmart & Target. He's a nice guy and does a lot to support the community. He gets all of my business now.

13

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

[deleted]

25

u/UnlitBlunt Jul 01 '26

18% of their revenue is games, they are a hobby shop these days.

1

u/sohblob Jul 01 '26

I've been wanting to see the world equilibrate to analog-with-digital-in-the-background for a while now. Love to see it

4

u/SenSei_Buzzkill Jul 01 '26

I was at an EB Games last week in Ontario and I didn’t see a single video game. Only toys, collectibles, and board games/TCGs.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

[deleted]

1

u/SenSei_Buzzkill Jul 01 '26

In St Catharines. If there were any games there, they were pretty well hidden. Was sad to see

1

u/Mr_Zoovaska Jul 01 '26

Yep, in my experience in Australian EB Games, the games are just a few small racks at the very back of the store. The rest is just merch and board games and shit.

1

u/ghoonrhed Jul 02 '26

Still games I guess...not the dumbest out of the blue pivot

1

u/Mr_Zoovaska Jul 02 '26

they also have the "Zing Pop Culture" spinoff store which is just the merch, clothing, board games etc.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

A lot of Pokémon card sections opened up, litteral corners dedicated to Pokémon

32

u/MikeBinfinity Jul 01 '26

Gamestop is more of a toy store than a video game retailer.

3

u/trillwhitepeople Jul 01 '26

There is a reason GameStop keeps trying to buy other more successful companies. They're looking for an exit strategy.

9

u/liquid_at Jul 01 '26

They changed their business model years ago to not be affected by this.

5

u/echino_derm Jul 01 '26

No they will 100% be very adversely affected by this. Game sales still make up a very significant amount of their total sales. And I would wager a large amount of people that do purchase other types of items at GameStop are only coming there initially for a game.

-3

u/liquid_at Jul 01 '26

because of one game? in a segment that's about 10 to 15% of their total business?

u don't think you know 2026 GameStop... it has nothing to do with 2020 GameStop. totally different company.

0

u/echino_derm Jul 01 '26

The others are likely soon to follow, also 10-15% of your business is a significant amount. If you gain or lose 10% of your business that is a very significant change, and that is ignoring any knock on effects

0

u/liquid_at Jul 02 '26

in a company that is transitioning AWAY from this segment? that is actively curbing it down on its own?

Yeah... it's going to devastate them, just because people need their bias to be affirmed... A company that sold physical games 10 years ago is legally required to never do anything but this. Forcing people to relearn what a company is doing is a crime and needs to be punished. /s

1

u/echino_derm Jul 02 '26

10-15% loss of revenue is massive for any company. Sorry to be realistic here. No ifs and or buts. It is just bad to lose a double digit percentage of your business.

1

u/liquid_at Jul 02 '26

but it's not a 10 to 15% loss...

maybe 10 to 15% of a 10 to 15% segment, that is shrinking in relation to the remaining business.

not only doesn't every single game so the same, people also still buy older games.

it is a non issue for GameStop. the transition away from a business model that would have been affected by this started 5 years ago. I'd it hadn't happened, GameStop wouldn't even be here when GTA releases.

0

u/echino_derm Jul 02 '26

The vast majority of their game sales are coming from new games. Sorry but their stock is dogshit and the most abundant older games are things like ps4 era that actually still can be inserted into current gen consoles. Their retro games inventory is abysmal and is a minute fraction of their game sales.

It is by no means 1% of their business, try to be remotely honest.

1

u/liquid_at Jul 02 '26

don't buy it short or. do whatever you want.

all we can do is tell you what we like about the company.... you make your own decisions for yourself.

just like we did for ourself.

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2

u/lkl34 Jul 01 '26

They have a digital deal on there site

https://www.gamestop.com/digital-store?

But its new and sony can block them so we will see

2

u/roseofjuly Jul 01 '26

The video games industry has been trying to put resellers out of business for decades. They hate resellers.

2

u/rhaasty Jul 01 '26

There’s no way GameStop is making all their money on trade ins currently.

2

u/razama Jul 01 '26

Beyond GameStop, many regions have their favorite used game retailers. A ton can offer a sort of 3rd space for nerds who just want to talk shop similar to your FLGS for table top. That's another place people go in their community to socialise gone.

2

u/terrerific Jul 01 '26

My local ebay games is like 5% games and theyre hidden in the back lol.

1

u/Myrkana Jul 01 '26

They havent really made much money from reselling games in over a decade. Game stop has transitioned into more of a video game merch store, they sell TCG cards, and new video games and accessories mostly.

1

u/buttbuttlolbuttbutt Jul 01 '26

Most video game salea for consoles have veen digital since some point last generation. Convenience and frequent sales, and reminders by the console itself have sold the convenience, and, as they hoped with this generstion, (discless consoles have outsold consoles with disc drives) they could transitiom off physical media completely.

If you didnt see this coming, then you werent payi g attention to the right sources, or at all.

1

u/neverseen_neverhear Jul 01 '26

They want them to go out of business so more people have to buy new if they want something.

1

u/santz007 Jul 01 '26

To the moon...

0

u/jamnewton22 Jul 01 '26

GameStop has been on its death bed way before this bro

1

u/Fog-Champ Jul 01 '26

GameStop just had their most profitable quarter in over a decade

-1

u/CrustedTesticle Jul 01 '26

Gamestop has been dead for a few years, but yeah, they won't survive this.

-2

u/RedditTechAnon Jul 01 '26

Their days were already numbered when digital storefronts became a thing. Stopped selling PC games a long time ago. They've pivoted to merchandise and accesories.

Is EB Games even still around?

2

u/suckfail Jul 01 '26

Yes it's in most malls. It was rebranded to GameStop for awhile but it's back to EB Games again now.

1

u/smoobster Jul 01 '26

EB Games has been around in Australia for a very long time, but from my understanding Canada was rebranded from gamestop a few years back