Sony left comments open during a 20-minute Phantom Blade Zero showcase, and the chat filled with “no disc no buy.” The same week, former PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida said he doesn’t understand why losing discs is such a big issue.
Sony ran a Phantom Blade Zero State of Play with the comments switched on. The chat did not discuss Phantom Blade Zero.
For twenty minutes, YouTube and Twitch filled with “no disc no buy” and disc emojis. It continued into the on-demand comments afterward, alongside jokes about “Phantom Disc Zero” and messages reading “Will buy when it’s available PHYSICALLY.”
One viewer asked whether Donnie Yen comes on disc.
The game caught in the middle
Phantom Blade Zero is developed by S-Game, not Sony.
It had spent years building anticipation, and this was its largest presentation to date. It got drowned out by an argument about a Sony policy the studio had nothing to do with.
That is now routine. PlayStation’s social accounts and YouTube uploads have been fielding the same protest since the announcement, regardless of whether Sony published the game in question.
What the former PlayStation boss said
Shuhei Yoshida, who ran Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios before leaving the company early last year, was asked about the decision in an interview with GamerBraves.
He had not known it was coming. “I didn’t know they were planning that,” he said.
Then he came down on Sony’s side, starting with himself as the example. He described himself as a completely digital consumer who does not want to manage or swap discs, preferring everything on the dashboard.
His argument against the disc is practical. Physical games still require downloads. “Even with physical disc games, in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway,” he said, and buyers of a physical copy still need patches, DLC, and updates regardless. Given that, he said he does not understand if it is such a big issue.
Where he agreed with the critics
Yoshida did not dismiss the whole objection, which is the part getting lost in the headlines.
He conceded the resale point directly, saying the lack of discs may become an issue for people who buy or sell games. That is the used market, and it disappears entirely without physical copies.
He also acknowledged collectors, saying it would be a shame if physical games were no longer available to collect. He expects collector’s editions to survive, though with download codes rather than discs.
On pricing he offered a line that cuts against Sony’s interests: the digital price point can be anything.
What the patch argument misses
Yoshida’s reasoning is accurate about updates and incomplete about ownership.
A disc that requires a day-one patch is still a disc. You can lend it, sell it, trade it, buy it secondhand at a lower price, or keep it after a storefront shuts down. Retail competition on physical copies also puts downward pressure on price in a way digital storefronts do not.
The patch point addresses convenience. The objection is mostly about what happens after the transaction.
Sony is not moving
The company’s public position has not shifted.
Disc production for new games ends in January 2028. CFO Lin Tao has said Sony does not see any negative impact on its business, while acknowledging that people hold strong views.
The numbers give that confidence some support. Reportedly only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 physical copies in the US so far this year. GTA 6 shipped without a disc in any edition. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said there are pluses and minuses but does not consider it a major problem.
Leaving the comments open during a 20-minute showcase suggests Sony is aware of the reaction and unbothered by it. The protest is loud, well-organized, and aimed at a decision the company has already priced in.
Article compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs (entertainment editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
GameSpot (August 2026), verified for Yoshida’s GamerBraves interview, his statement that he did not know the plan was coming, the “I don’t understand if it’s such a big issue” quote, his concession about the used market, and Yves Guillemot’s comments
PC Guide (August 2026), verified for Yoshida’s description of himself as a totally digital consumer, his not wanting to manage or swap discs, the January 2028 effective date, his comments on collectors and collector’s editions with download codes, and the digital pricing remark
GamesRadar+ (August 2026), verified for the Phantom Blade Zero State of Play running with comments enabled, the “no disc no buy” flood across YouTube and Twitch, the continuation into on-demand comments, the “Phantom Disc Zero” jokes, and the report that only seven PlayStation games have passed 100,000 physical US sales this year
GAMES.GG (August 2026), verified for the 20-minute runtime, the specific viewer comments including the physical-format and Donnie Yen remarks, S-Game as developer, and Sony CFO Lin Tao’s statement about no expected negative business impact
WCCFTech (August 2026), verified for Yoshida’s full reasoning on patches and updates, and his acknowledgment that the used market will be affected