Former PlayStation Boss Shawn Layden Says Sony Can't Get Away With Making PS6 Disc-less

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden emphasizes Sony's significantly larger global market share. Eliminating physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their player base.

Layden highlighted that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries, unlike Sony's widespread global dominance. He questioned the feasibility of a disc-less PlayStation, considering the accessibility challenges for users in regions with unreliable internet infrastructure, citing rural Italy as an example. He also pointed to specific demographics reliant on physical media, such as athletes traveling and military personnel stationed on bases with limited connectivity. Layden suggested Sony is likely assessing the potential market loss associated with abandoning physical games. The key question, he stated, is determining the acceptable level of market share loss before making such a drastic shift. Even with the next generation, Sony's vast global reach makes a fully disc-less console a risky proposition.

The debate regarding disc-less consoles has persisted since the PlayStation 4 era, intensifying with Xbox's release of digital-only consoles. Both PlayStation and Xbox offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), yet Sony has remained hesitant to fully embrace a disc-less model. This is partly due to the PS5's ability to add a disc drive, even for the higher-priced models. However, the rise of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus's Games Catalog fuels speculation about the future of physical media.

Physical media sales are declining, and many major publishers are releasing games requiring internet connectivity even for disc-based versions. Examples include Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla (presumably a typo, likely meant to be Assassin's Creed Valhalla or another title) and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, both of which necessitate online access for installation. The practice of including what would previously have been a second disc as downloadable content further underscores the shifting landscape.

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