Just posted it on the Playstation thread, but I'm also posting it as its own thread about physical media, specially physical games.

Seems like Sony is going to not only stop selling (if they still were selling) but also remove previously purchased movies/shows from Studio Canal from the libraries of people that bought it on Playstation.

https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/legal/psvideocontent/

The all digital future some champion, or already live into, will always innevitably lead to more things like these in the future.

GTA VI not having discs on launch is one of the biggest threats physical games have suffered, it is rumored actual physical media will be available shortly post launch, but this is really concerning.

There are some stores refusing to sell GTA VI until it does have a disc version, including one here in Brazil where I buy most of my current gen games, so at least there is still some small resistance to it.

I know this forum is so, so small and even the biggest forums are nothing compared to the mass consumer market, but I really hope this kind of stuff doesn't get sidelined and forgotten.

Xbox doesn't sell physical games here in Brazil since around 2023, and games like Forza, both Motorsport and Horizon, get delisted from their storefront regularly, so if physical media didn't exist those games would already be unnavailable on Xbox for people that did not get them when they were available, that's a flagship first party francise, like happened to Gran Turismo Sport on Playstation as well.

Neither Forza Motorsport (8) or Forza Horizon 6 are sold physically here in Brazil, so unless you are able to import the physical media from another country it's already a reality here, these games will be unavailable in a market as big as Brazil when they are delisted. Also, I think from Horizon 5 and above their are incomplete on discs even where they are still sold. And that's just delisting, what is happening to the Studio Canal content on Playstation is revoking your license to use content you paid for.

Physical media can never be allowed to go away.

Even games releasing with non-playable builds on physical media, like Starfield, no content aside from digital keys to download the actual software like Game Key Cards, or codes in a box like now with GTA VI, those are part of the problem that may innevitably lead do licenses being revoked like we are about to see there on some movies/shows purchased on Playstation.

I’m right there with you, but unfortunately we’re in the minority. People really don’t care about their ownership rights and the majority likely still won’t care even if their favorite movies/music/games get delisted, become unavailable or even censored. Crazy how so many people are against “big business” but will so easily give up and enable them to do whatever they want. All in the name of “convenience” but is digital media really all that convenient?

As much as I want physical to stay, sadly the majority of the world doesn't care and neither does the big 3 as records show majority of their sales are digital, and especially when they make, and save more, with digital sales. But I'll always choose physical over digital if the option is there.

I know one way that physical games can remain big..... TCG (Trading Card Game). Yugioh did it best when they packed 3 cards with their physical copy of their games since the beginning. I'd like to think Swtich 2's FF7 Rebirth "physical" sold decently since it came with an exclusive MTG card. Imagine if every physical Pokemon game released came with an exclusive card??? MTG did some cards for Sony's IP, so what if every Sony game came with a MTG card, I'm sure that would probably gain some attention. All anime games will have their anime TCG card in the box (especially One Piece is going strong). Just put TCG in everything cause that's one product type that seems to remain strong.

I don't have a preference, aside from a few games like Mario Kart or Smash where you want to just play for a little bit and than hop into something else. Mario Kart, Smash type games I'll buy digital for sure so they are on the system. I rarely buy games day one, so when I'm ready to buy a game, I buy it wherever it's cheapest be it physical or digital. I usually get a few games for Christmas as well and those are physical.

Pardon my ignorance. I have never purchased digital film or television. If you do purchase on a console is it not saved to your console? How do they remove what you have already purchased?

If physical gets phased out, I'm retro only.

Purchasing a digital copy of software means you're buying a license to the software. Not an actual copy that you own.

And said license can be revoked, which the platform holder has every right to remove it since they control the platform.