“Sony will cease producing game discs in 2028, but 62% of countries and regions worldwide still cannot use PSN services.”
Sony announced that it will stop producing physical discs starting from 2028, and future consoles will transition to a pure digital format. Currently, 121 countries and regions (about 62% of the total) still cannot use the PlayStation Network (PSN) service, which becomes the biggest obstacle to Sony’s transformation. The issue caused by regional restrictions in “Jedi Knight 2” earlier this year, where PC players had to bind their PSN accounts to purchase games, has exposed this contradiction. Sony’s latest service terms require users to provide accurate information; otherwise, their accounts may be suspended. Alternative registration methods become difficult to maintain after the official policies tighten. Although theoretically Sony could expand its support before the arrival of PS6, given that 121 regions have been unsupported for a long time, expecting it to resolve all issues by 2028 is too optimistic. Although there are rumors that the withdrawal of the optical drive plan may be postponed by two years, this does not solve the problem fundamentally. If PSN becomes unavailable, it will become a prerequisite for purchasing games, and Sony will ultimately decide who is eligible to officially purchase PlayStation games.