Game Publishers Have Been Moving Away from Physical Discs Since 2007

Video game publishers have been trying for nearly two decades to cease the production of physical discs and move to fully digital distribution, claims Robert Bowling, former creative strategist at Infinity Ward for the Call of Duty franchise from 2006 to 2012. In 2007, during the development of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision discussed the idea of a complete shift to digital format to avoid issues with game resales. Bowling noted that Activision's management proposed abandoning discs to avoid discussions about resales and control the market for their games. Additionally, this would allow them to avoid fees for printing discs on Xbox and PlayStation.

According to him, behind the scenes, publishers tried to convince GameStop to share revenue from used games. GameStop won this dispute, after which publishers decided to abandon discs to completely kill the resale market. "That's when I raised the issue that we are trading the freedom and joy of collecting games solely for profit growth," said Bowling. In his opinion, this contradicted the culture of gamers and developers.

Bowling emphasized that only publishers insist on such a decision to maximize profit by reducing production costs and eliminating the used games market. This situation also highlights the divide in the industry between those who see games as merely software and those who view them as art, entertainment, a collection, and part of a lifestyle.

Amid dissatisfaction with Sony's decision to cease disc production by 2028, more than 387,000 people have signed the "Don't Kill the Disc" petition. PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi defended Sony, stating that player dissatisfaction is a "matter of mindset." Meanwhile, according to court documents, Sony claims that purchasing a digital game in the PlayStation Store does not mean owning it: it is a license that can be revoked at any time.

Bowling emphasized that for developers, it is important that players truly own the games they purchase, rather than just receiving licenses that can be revoked. "We create games for purchase and enjoyment. We want you to own, share, and appreciate these games," said Bowling. He added that over two decades in the video game industry, only publishers have been pushing the idea of abandoning physical discs, creating a need to increase their profit and reduce costs. Activision did not respond to Decrypt's request for comment.