There is an important correction regarding Sony’s planned move away from physical discs for newly released PlayStation games. Since July, reports have circulated claiming that production volume at Sony DADC’s major plant in Thalgau, Austria, would fall to just 10 percent of current levels in 2028. That interpretation was incorrect.
Sony DADC has now clarified to journalist Brian Crecente that the company was referring to an expected 10 percent decline in total production volume in 2028—not a collapse to just 10 percent of current output.
That is a significant difference.
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However, Sony’s broader decision to stop producing physical discs for newly released PlayStation games beginning in January 2028 has not changed.
A supposed 90 percent collapse becomes a 10 percent decline
The confusion originated from comments made in July by Sony DADC CEO Dietmar Tanzer.
The company’s plant in Thalgau, Austria, currently produces around 600,000 discs per day. According to the figures shared at the time, approximately half of that volume is related to PlayStation.
Tanzer also said that roughly 20 percent of the PlayStation portion comes from new orders.
That works out to around 10 percent of the plant’s total production volume.
Several reports subsequently interpreted the 10 percent figure as meaning that total production at the facility would fall to only one tenth of its current level in 2028.
Sony DADC has now explicitly corrected that interpretation.
What Tanzer meant was that the plant’s overall product volume is expected to decline by around 10 percent in 2028.
Sony DADC explicitly corrects the figure
Speaking to Brian Crecente, a Sony DADC representative clarified that Dietmar Tanzer had been referring to a 10 percent decrease in total product volume—not a reduction of total output to 10 percent.
That completely changes the short-term outlook for the Thalgau plant.
Instead of facing an immediate production collapse of roughly 90 percent, Sony currently expects total output in 2028 to fall by only around 10 percent.
There is, however, an important limitation to keep in mind.
That figure refers to the entire production volume of the facility and should not automatically be treated as a measurement of newly manufactured PlayStation game discs.
Sony DADC produces more than just new PS5 releases.
New PlayStation games are still moving away from discs
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s most important announcement remains unchanged.
Beginning in January 2028, Sony plans to stop producing physical game discs for all newly released titles on PlayStation consoles.
Games released after that point are expected to be sold digitally through the PlayStation Store and through digital distribution offered by retailers.
Sony explained the decision in July by pointing to changing consumer purchasing habits and the continued shift toward digital media.
The latest clarification therefore does not mean Sony is reversing its decision to move away from discs.
It only corrects the previously misunderstood figure concerning how strongly the change is expected to affect Sony DADC’s overall production volume during 2028.
Existing PlayStation games can still be reprinted
At the same time, Sony DADC has confirmed an important detail for collectors and retailers.
After January 2028, Sony will still be able to produce additional copies of PlayStation games that were already released physically before the change takes effect.
A Sony DADC representative explicitly confirmed to Crecente that additional orders for previously released games will continue to reach retailers after January 2028.
That means PlayStation discs will not suddenly disappear entirely from factories or store shelves on January 1, 2028.
The key distinction is the game’s original release date.
If a title launches physically before January 2028, additional copies can apparently continue to be manufactured afterward.
Games that first launch from January 2028 onward, however, are not expected to receive a physical PlayStation release.
Why the plant can remain heavily utilized
This also helps explain why the expected decline in 2028 is much smaller than previously reported.
The plant will continue producing various other optical media products, while existing PlayStation games can still receive additional manufacturing runs.
Titles released toward the end of 2027 that remain commercially successful throughout 2028 could therefore continue to be reprinted for some time.
What happens to production volume in 2029, 2030 and beyond remains unknown.
Sony DADC has specifically provided a forecast only for 2028.
That means the new figure should not be interpreted as evidence that disc production will remain almost unchanged over the long term.
Sony is already preparing the plant for the future
Separately, Sony DADC is already preparing the Thalgau facility for a future in which optical media plays a smaller role.
The company has invested around €30 million in establishing production for so-called Micro Optics.
These are extremely small optical components capable of focusing and directing light in confined spaces and can be used in areas including industrial and automotive applications.
Series production is expected to begin in 2027.
Sony is therefore gradually shifting employees and production capacity toward new business areas.
That also makes it clear that the company continues to anticipate a long-term decline in the traditional disc business.
Why the correction matters
The corrected figure makes a major difference in the ongoing discussion surrounding Sony’s physical media strategy.
Saying “production will fall to 10 percent” creates the impression that the plant’s traditional business is about to almost completely collapse within a very short period of time.
Saying “production will fall by 10 percent” means that the overwhelming majority of the plant’s current overall production volume is expected to remain in place during 2028.
Those two statements should not be confused.
At the same time, the new figure shouldn’t be overinterpreted in the opposite direction.
Sony has not changed its plan for newly released PlayStation games.
Beginning in January 2028, the company still intends to stop producing discs for new PlayStation releases.
The PlayStation disc debate takes another turn
The clarification is nevertheless significant for the wider debate.
Over the past two months, the supposed collapse to just 10 percent of current production has repeatedly been cited as evidence of how rapidly Sony planned to dismantle its physical media infrastructure.
We now know that this picture was inaccurate—at least for 2028.
Sony DADC’s Thalgau plant is expected to retain substantially more of its overall production volume during the first year after the transition than many reports previously suggested.
How long that remains the case is still unknown.
What is clear for now is this: new PlayStation games are still expected to lose their physical disc versions from January 2028 onward, while previously released games can continue to receive additional manufacturing runs.
And Sony’s Austrian disc facility will not suddenly be operating at just 10 percent of its current overall production volume in 2028.
