From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


A couple months ago, Sony announced that it was ending ports of its
first-party games to PC. Well, more specifically, they were ending
ports of its single-player narrative games. Live-service multiplayer
titles would still get the PC treatment, because even Sony couldn't
turn its back on all that free money. But the big names Sony is most
famous for? It's "Horizon Zero Dawns" and "God of Wars" and "Left for
Deads"? Those were being restricted to the Playstation console alone.

Not everyone agreed that strategy was a good idea, though, and most
recently even Sony of America's former president, Shawn Layden,
expressed that keeping the PS games on PC was actually a good thing
for the Playstation brand.* It puts the games in front of a larger
audience, including many who would never buy a Playstation anyway.
Especially as games become ever more expensive to develop, a bigger
audience is essential to getting in extra revenue. All the more so
since the gaming industry is more competitive than ever before, and
there are more games clamoring for gamer's attention. Hiding your
products behind a door that costs $900 to open (e.g., requiring them
to buy a Playstation) isn't going to work. Exclusives don't have quite
the draw they used to. People will just shrug and play something else.
Despite what Sony hopes, PC gamers aren't going to rush out to buy the Playstation.

Personally, the whole switch in strategy smells of one CEO taking over
and smacking down the project of his predecessor for no other reason
than they want to make a change and/or didn't like their former boss
(something that happens far too often in business). "x initiated the
'sell games on PC' idea? But I'm in charge now so we're doing
exclusives only!" It doesn't really feel to me like something that has
a lot of forethought behind it. But what do I know? ;-)

Personally, I'll miss the Sony games. Their first-party titles tended
to be fairly good and you could feel the money poured into them. I'm
glad I got the chance to play a few of them. I certainly won't be
purchasing a PS5 (much less a PS6) to play their sequels, though.





* story here
https://www.pcgamesn.com/sony/playstation-pc-releases-good-thing
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 7/1/2026 9:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

A couple months ago, Sony announced that it was ending ports of its first-party games to PC. Well, more specifically, they were ending
ports of its single-player narrative games. Live-service multiplayer
titles would still get the PC treatment, because even Sony couldn't
turn its back on all that free money. But the big names Sony is most
famous for? It's "Horizon Zero Dawns" and "God of Wars" and "Left for
Deads"? Those were being restricted to the Playstation console alone.

Not everyone agreed that strategy was a good idea, though, and most
recently even Sony of America's former president, Shawn Layden,
expressed that keeping the PS games on PC was actually a good thing
for the Playstation brand.* It puts the games in front of a larger
audience, including many who would never buy a Playstation anyway.
Especially as games become ever more expensive to develop, a bigger
audience is essential to getting in extra revenue. All the more so
since the gaming industry is more competitive than ever before, and
there are more games clamoring for gamer's attention. Hiding your
products behind a door that costs $900 to open (e.g., requiring them
to buy a Playstation) isn't going to work. Exclusives don't have quite
the draw they used to. People will just shrug and play something else. Despite what Sony hopes, PC gamers aren't going to rush out to buy the Playstation.

Personally, the whole switch in strategy smells of one CEO taking over
and smacking down the project of his predecessor for no other reason
than they want to make a change and/or didn't like their former boss (something that happens far too often in business). "x initiated the
'sell games on PC' idea? But I'm in charge now so we're doing
exclusives only!" It doesn't really feel to me like something that has
a lot of forethought behind it. But what do I know? ;-)

Personally, I'll miss the Sony games. Their first-party titles tended
to be fairly good and you could feel the money poured into them. I'm
glad I got the chance to play a few of them. I certainly won't be
purchasing a PS5 (much less a PS6) to play their sequels, though.

* story here
https://www.pcgamesn.com/sony/playstation-pc-releases-good-thing

To go along with that Sony has also announced the end of games on
physical discs. In response to "shifting trends in consumer preference."

Sony has announced physical disc production ends in January 2028 for new
games releasing on PlayStation consoles.

It’s a shock announcement that follows Rockstar’s decision not to sell a physical disc version of GTA 6, which is expected to dominate console
game sales from this November onwards. This new policy will cover all
games released on PlayStation consoles from all publishers after this
cut-off date, which some analysts believe hints at when the PS6 will be released.

“In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will
be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats
only,” Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Content Communications, said in a post on PlayStation Blog.

“As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue
to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc
production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will
be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats
only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or
will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.

“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt
to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media
significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to
align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and
play games today.

“We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer
to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store.
We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our
fans and we thank you for your continued support.”

Piers Harding-Rolls, games industry analyst at Ampere, tweeted to call
Sony's announcement "a watershed moment for the industry."

"Console gaming is the last hold-out for physical media in the gaming
sector, but physical product has been declining in importance," he
added. "Back in 2013 when the PS4 launched, Ampere data shows that only
13% of total full games unit sales for Sony consoles were digital
(including digital-only games). Fast forward to 2025, and this digital
share of full game purchases stood at almost 80% of the total.

"Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around
various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games,
and game preservation, however the purchasing trends of gamers are clear."

Just this week, Sony notified PlayStation users that it would soon
delete more than 550 digital movies from their PSN accounts due to a
licensing agreement with Studio Canal, sparking a backlash. There was no
sign of refunds or alternatives for those who purchased any of the
movies on the list.

The Does it play? social media account, which advocates for physical
media, accused Sony of "killing ownership." "You are killing legal preservation," it continued. "You are killing discoverability. You are
killing publishers. You are killing developers. This is a move that
might slightly improve bottom lines, but tear down every other aspect of
this medium. Well done! You f*d up!"

Rockstar has come under fire for its decision not to release GTA 6
on-disc, although in the context of today's announcement from Sony,
perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise. Rockstar is instead releasing a physical version that's just a download code in a box. So, if you want
to play GTA 6, you’ll need to download the game. From January 2028, all PlayStation games will be the same.

Why has Rockstar decided not to go with a disc version of GTA 6, risking angering core gamers in the process? There are a number of reasons,
analysts told IGN this week, and they all make commercial sense.
Meanwhile, some retailers are refusing to sell GTA 6 because the
physical version lacks a disc.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced the closure of its PlayStation Store on
the PS3 and Vita, beginning next month in certain countries.


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

Sony seems pretty dedicated to self-destruction lately....
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 1 Jul 2026 17:27:38 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> said this thing:

On 7/1/2026 9:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

A couple months ago, Sony announced that it was ending ports of its
first-party games to PC. Well, more specifically, they were ending
ports of its single-player narrative games. Live-service multiplayer
titles would still get the PC treatment, because even Sony couldn't
turn its back on all that free money. But the big names Sony is most
famous for? It's "Horizon Zero Dawns" and "God of Wars" and "Left for
Deads"? Those were being restricted to the Playstation console alone.

Not everyone agreed that strategy was a good idea, though, and most
recently even Sony of America's former president, Shawn Layden,
expressed that keeping the PS games on PC was actually a good thing
for the Playstation brand.* It puts the games in front of a larger
audience, including many who would never buy a Playstation anyway.
Especially as games become ever more expensive to develop, a bigger
audience is essential to getting in extra revenue. All the more so
since the gaming industry is more competitive than ever before, and
there are more games clamoring for gamer's attention. Hiding your
products behind a door that costs $900 to open (e.g., requiring them
to buy a Playstation) isn't going to work. Exclusives don't have quite
the draw they used to. People will just shrug and play something else.
Despite what Sony hopes, PC gamers aren't going to rush out to buy the
Playstation.

Personally, the whole switch in strategy smells of one CEO taking over
and smacking down the project of his predecessor for no other reason
than they want to make a change and/or didn't like their former boss
(something that happens far too often in business). "x initiated the
'sell games on PC' idea? But I'm in charge now so we're doing
exclusives only!" It doesn't really feel to me like something that has
a lot of forethought behind it. But what do I know? ;-)

Personally, I'll miss the Sony games. Their first-party titles tended
to be fairly good and you could feel the money poured into them. I'm
glad I got the chance to play a few of them. I certainly won't be
purchasing a PS5 (much less a PS6) to play their sequels, though.





* story here
https://www.pcgamesn.com/sony/playstation-pc-releases-good-thing

To go along with that Sony has also announced the end of games on
physical discs. In response to "shifting trends in consumer preference."

Sony has announced physical disc production ends in January 2028 for new >games releasing on PlayStation consoles.

It�s a shock announcement that follows Rockstar�s decision not to sell a >physical disc version of GTA 6, which is expected to dominate console
game sales from this November onwards. This new policy will cover all
games released on PlayStation consoles from all publishers after this >cut-off date, which some analysts believe hints at when the PS6 will be >released.

�In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will
be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats
only,� Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Content Communications, said in a post on PlayStation Blog.

�As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue
to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc
production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be >discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will
be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats
only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or
will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.

�This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt
to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media
significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to >align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and
play games today.

�We�ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how >players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer
to purchase new games, whether that�s at retailers or PlayStation Store.
We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our >fans and we thank you for your continued support.�

Piers Harding-Rolls, games industry analyst at Ampere, tweeted to call >Sony's announcement "a watershed moment for the industry."

"Console gaming is the last hold-out for physical media in the gaming >sector, but physical product has been declining in importance," he
added. "Back in 2013 when the PS4 launched, Ampere data shows that only
13% of total full games unit sales for Sony consoles were digital
(including digital-only games). Fast forward to 2025, and this digital
share of full game purchases stood at almost 80% of the total.

"Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around
various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older >physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games,
and game preservation, however the purchasing trends of gamers are clear."

Just this week, Sony notified PlayStation users that it would soon
delete more than 550 digital movies from their PSN accounts due to a >licensing agreement with Studio Canal, sparking a backlash. There was no >sign of refunds or alternatives for those who purchased any of the
movies on the list.

The Does it play? social media account, which advocates for physical
media, accused Sony of "killing ownership." "You are killing legal >preservation," it continued. "You are killing discoverability. You are >killing publishers. You are killing developers. This is a move that
might slightly improve bottom lines, but tear down every other aspect of >this medium. Well done! You f*d up!"

Rockstar has come under fire for its decision not to release GTA 6
on-disc, although in the context of today's announcement from Sony,
perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise. Rockstar is instead releasing a >physical version that's just a download code in a box. So, if you want
to play GTA 6, you�ll need to download the game. From January 2028, all >PlayStation games will be the same.

Why has Rockstar decided not to go with a disc version of GTA 6, risking >angering core gamers in the process? There are a number of reasons,
analysts told IGN this week, and they all make commercial sense.
Meanwhile, some retailers are refusing to sell GTA 6 because the
physical version lacks a disc.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced the closure of its PlayStation Store on
the PS3 and Vita, beginning next month in certain countries.

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

Sony seems pretty dedicated to self-destruction lately....

Honestly, I find this one not that shocking. Because --whether we like
it or not-- digital downloads are the way the industry is going, and
has been for a while. Even when they do sell a physical version, as
often as not it's little more than a launcher for the rest of the game
to be downloaded.

Sony's move is only 'shocking' because Sony made a big act of how the
PS4 would support physical disks while the Microsoft's XBox One was
pushing towards digital-only games. In 2013, that was probably a step
too far, but now? 85% of all Playstation game sales are digital.

I'm not saying this change-over comes without cost to the consumer... especially with Sony, who has shown a callous disregard to people's
digital libraries. But it was inevitable and, honestly, I'd have been
more surprised if the PS6 /did/ come with an optical drive than I am
that it's not.


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2