The head of the French publisher essentially shrugged off the issue and then forgot about it.
Sony’s decision to stop producing game discs by 2028 sparked an outcry. Some PlayStation owners see a bleak future, fearing they’ll become dependent on digital services and lose the ability to trade in their old games. At least one analyst believes, however, that we’ll eventually get used to it. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has also weighed in on the debate and belongs to the “no big deal” camp. During yesterday’s quarterly investor conference call, Guillemot was asked whether Sony’s decision could negatively impact demand by eliminating the used PlayStation game market.
"What we saw on the PC is that it helped grow the market. There’s also some future pressure on the cost of machines, and only offering digital games will make machines more accessible. There are pros and cons, but we don’t think it will disrupt the industry too much," Guillemot said. This is presumably a reference to the explosive growth of Steam, which drove a stake through the heart of physical PC game releases.
Steam’s impact on the evolution of PC gaming is obvious and undeniable. While one could argue that this isn’t necessarily a good thing, PC gamers are doing well these days—at least until they need to upgrade their setup. We regularly get discounts that balance things out pretty well. However, the implied comparison seems flawed to us. Consoles are closed systems, and the PlayStation Store is moderated much more strictly than Steam ever was—even before Steam began allowing practically anything.
We don’t consider it likely that Sony will ease its grip in a fully digital future. In the absence of that, we believe the results will differ. Expectations differ as well. No central authority ever mandated an end to physical releases on the PC, and the process began long before games became the widespread form of home entertainment they are today. To what extent will the lack of an optical drive affect costs? We don’t know. Presumably, it will give Sony a little extra flexibility in terms of pricing, but we don’t expect them to sacrifice more profits than necessary. Despite all this, Guillemot is probably right.
If Sony sticks to its position, then we will have no choice but to either accept it or look elsewhere.
Source: PCGamer
