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.

I'm not sure about how it technically works, but with consoles like the Playstation every software has a license it needs to provide for the system to allow it to run, I remember some issues dating back to the PS3 could make you need to restore the license, individually, for the games to work, there is even an option for you do try to restore it in the UI yourself. So by revoking all licenses tied to a specific software I can imagine they can prevent it from being accessed even if its download. And with a system update it could simply corrupt the file in your storage so if would need to be erased.

We saw something in that vein this year with the PS4/PS5 digital games now needing you to provide an internet connection once after a 14 days period after purchase the game, where even if it was installed in your system, if you don't provide an internet connection for the system to transition the license status from temporary to permanent after that 14 days period once, even if you did during the 14 days, the game will simply refuse to open after 30 days it was bought. Once you provide it once after that period, it would never become a problem again.

So all software need to provide a license to the system for it to allow it to be played, even physical hypothetically, it's also a license, but they can't legally break into your house to take it from you.

Games I mostly buy physical, but do also "buy" digital (well aware it is merely a glorified rental). For example I just "bought" Mina on Switch2 because there is no physical version and I wanted to play it, I am not waiting a year to see whether one arrives (which I think there is a good chance for down the line). I also regularly play games via gamepass which I have access to because my girlfriend is subscribed to it. 

Music I do buy I want physical as well (but I think it is more than a year ago I bought my last LP). 

For movies/ shows I basically always stream/ rent digitally these days when I do watch some. Guilty as charged, your honor.

Until financing games fully takes off and they can repo your game after missing too many payments lol

I also buy digital games, but only at prices I'm not mad with if I get screwed over, and because it did not have a decent way to get it physical.

I also got Mina the Hollower day 1, I didn't actually wanted it that much, even as I was sure I would get it eventually, it has always looked great and Shovel Knight was amazing back then, but I got it day one because the devs needed it. Turned out to be even better than I antecipated lol.

Even as $20 is more than what I'm usually willing to pay for a digital game, the fact the guys that make such great games needing it to do well so they could keep making great games was enough to convice me. I'll double dip on it if it gets a physical version on PS5 too.