An important correction has emerged regarding Sony’s planned shift 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 expects a 10 percent decline in total production volume by 2028—not a drop to just 10 percent of current output. That is a significant difference. However, Sony’s broader decision to stop producing physical discs for newly released PlayStation games beginning in January 2028 has not changed.
The supposed 90 percent collapse is now a 10 percent decline.
The confusion stemmed 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, and about half of that output is for PlayStation.
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He added that roughly 20 percent of the PlayStation volume consists of new orders, which equals about 10 percent of the plant’s total output. Several outlets then interpreted that 10 percent figure as a prediction that overall production would drop to one-tenth of current levels by 2028. Sony DADC has now explicitly corrected that interpretation.
Tanzer actually meant that overall output will drop by roughly 10 percent by 2028.
Sony DADC has explicitly corrected that figure.
Speaking to Brian Crecente, a Sony DADC representative clarified that Tanzer was describing a 10 percent decrease in total product volume, not a drop to 10 percent of current output.
That outlook is far less severe than the earlier interpretation. Rather than an immediate 90 percent collapse, Sony now expects total output in 2028 to drop by only about 10 percent.
There is one important caveat.
That figure covers the facility’s total output and does not directly reflect newly manufactured PlayStation game discs, as Sony DADC produces more than just new PS5 releases.
New PlayStation games are still shifting away from discs.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s key decision remains unchanged. In January 2028, Sony will stop manufacturing physical game discs for all new PlayStation titles. Titles released after that date will be sold digitally via the PlayStation Store and other digital retailers.
Sony cited changing consumer purchasing habits and the ongoing shift toward digital media when it announced the move in July. The latest clarification does not reverse that decision; it merely corrects the earlier misinterpretation of the change’s impact on Sony DADC’s 2028 production volume.
Existing PlayStation games can still be reprinted
Sony DADC has also confirmed an important detail for collectors and retailers: after January 2028, the plant will still be able to press additional copies of PlayStation games that launched on disc before the change. A Sony DADC representative explicitly told Crecente that new orders for previously released titles will continue to reach retailers after that date.
As a result, PlayStation discs will not vanish from factories or store shelves on January 1, 2028. The crucial factor is a title’s original release date: if it launched on disc before January 2028, Sony DADC can still press additional copies afterward.
Titles launching on or after that date will not receive a physical PlayStation release.
Why the plant can remain heavily utilized
This also explains why the expected 2028 decline is smaller than earlier reports suggested. The plant will keep producing other optical media, and existing PlayStation games can still go back into production. Titles released toward the end of 2027 that remain commercially successful in 2028 could therefore stay in print for some time.
What will happen to production volume in 2029, 2030, and beyond remains unknown. Sony DADC has provided a forecast only for 2028, so the new figure should not be taken as proof that disc production will stay virtually unchanged over the long term.
Sony is already preparing the plant for the future
Separately, Sony DADC is preparing the Thalgau facility for a future with less optical media. The company has invested about €30 million to set up production of so-called micro-optics—extremely small optical components that focus and direct light in tight spaces. They can be used in 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. This also makes it clear that the company continues to anticipate a long-term decline in the traditional disc business.
Why the Correction Matters
The revised figure significantly shapes the ongoing debate about Sony’s physical media strategy. Saying “production will fall to 10 percent” suggests the plant’s traditional business is about to collapse almost overnight.
Saying “production will fall by 10 percent” means the vast majority of current output will continue through 2028. These 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.
Starting 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 broader debate. Over the past two months, the supposed drop to just 10 percent of current production has repeatedly been cited as evidence of how rapidly Sony planned to dismantle its physical media infrastructure.
That narrative was incorrect at least for 2028. The Thalgau facility will maintain far more of its current output in the first year of the shift than earlier reports claimed. How long that lasts remains unclear.
For now, the only certainty is that new PlayStation games will no longer ship on physical discs starting in January 2028, while previously released titles may still get additional disc runs. Sony’s Austrian plant will not drop to just 10 percent of current output in 2028.
