Headline: Sony’s Move to Ditch Game Discs by 2028 Could Deepen a Digital Divide — Experts Warn Sony’s decision to stop producing physical PlayStation game discs from 2028 will disproportionately hurt low-income and regionally underserved gamers, industry experts told Decrypt. For many players, especially in rural and lower-income areas and across much of Africa, the secondary market for used discs and cheaper physical copies is the only affordable route into console gaming. A fully digital strategy risks locking those players out. Why physical discs matter - Used and second‑hand physical games provide a much cheaper entry point than full‑price digital purchases or new discs. - Digital purchases assume reliable internet, regional store support and affordable data — conditions many households don’t have. Expert perspectives - Joost van Dreunen, NYU Stern professor and games business author: “By abandoning physical discs, some players at the bottom of the economic spectrum lose access to physical distribution through retail and, more importantly, discounted used sales.” He adds that the move won’t immediately dent big publishers’ finances because the current market strategy is focused on premium experiences for wealthier gamers. - A spokesperson for UK advocacy group Gamer’s Voice similarly said the decision will “likely affect people on lower incomes more.” Cost pressures pushing gamers toward digital-only pain points - The cost of console gaming is rising: Sony raised PS5 prices in March, citing global economic pressures, and reports indicate the next Xbox generation could cost up to $1,800 (Fortune). - Digital-only distribution amplifies other hidden costs — most notably data and bandwidth — which further exclude lower-income players. Africa’s risks magnified Isa Muhammad, founder of Bijetic (a platform focused on Africa and the Middle East games industry), says the PS5 is already “out of reach for most Africans.” Those who do own consoles typically rely on used-game markets to afford play. Major barriers for African gamers: - PlayStation Network is officially supported in only one African country: South Africa. Many nations are absent from Sony’s supported list. - To buy digitally, players in unsupported countries often set up accounts registered to the U.S. or U.K., then pay with foreign gift cards or dollar cards — a workaround that’s costly and risky. - Muhammad: “Sony’s own terms say you must register your account in the country where you live, and Sony can suspend or close accounts created with false information…. Every Nigerian or Egyptian on a US or UK PSN account is breaking the rules from day one.” Bandwidth, data costs and download sizes - Bandwidth is now effectively part of the price of a game. Van Dreunen notes that roughly one in four rural U.S. households lacks wired providers offering 100/20 Mbps; at 10 Mbps, a 50 GB download takes about 11 hours. - Data costs can be prohibitive. Muhammad recently paid 75,000 NGN (about $55) for a 450 GB broadband bundle — more than Nigeria’s minimum monthly wage. - With major titles getting huge (GTA 6’s pre‑load has been reported at ~212 GB), Muhammad broke down a hypothetical cost: buy the $80 game, then spend $25–$60 or more on data to download it, depending on purchase method and data pricing. - Nigeria’s median download speed of 36.77 Mbps (Speedtest by Ookla) would still mean nearly 13 hours to download a 212 GB preload. Account vulnerability and long-term ownership risk Because many players in unsupported regions use foreign accounts, they risk account suspension or loss. Muhammad warns that in a disc‑free future, losing access to a single account could mean losing access to an entire game library — and being forced to repurchase titles on a new account. Sony response Sony and PlayStation did not respond to Decrypt’s request for comment. What this means for digital ownership — and what to watch next Beyond immediate affordability and access concerns, the shift away from physical media highlights wider issues around centralized digital ownership: region‑locked stores, account dependency, and the disappearance of third‑party resale markets. For communities already on the wrong side of infrastructure and price barriers, those problems could become permanent. For a crypto‑focused audience, the debate underscores familiar themes: how platform control, regional restrictions and centralized account systems shape who can actually access digital goods — and whether decentralized or alternative distribution models might offer any practical remedies for underbanked and underserved players. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news