GAMING NEWS – A new report says the manufacturing process behind PS5 and Xbox Series game discs is so tightly controlled that none of its sources could speak on the record. The investigation lays out the work and expenses behind a boxed release at a time when the future of physical games is increasingly uncertain.

Physical releases have been losing ground for years, and another major change is now approaching. Sony announced last month that it plans to stop producing discs in early 2028, with no indication so far that the company intends to reverse that decision.

Even industry sources were not allowed to be named

Renewed interest in physical media prompted Stephen Totilo of Game File to investigate how a console game reaches disc manufacturing. His reporting ran into an unusual barrier: everyone familiar with the procedure had to explain it anonymously.

Totilo wrote that none of his sources was “authorised to talk on the record,” while both Sony and Microsoft declined to “weigh in” on Game File’s findings.

It remains unclear whether that silence simply reflects the companies’ desire to protect sensitive business information. Even so, the secrecy is striking because the same production system has handled a huge number of console releases over many years.

A physical edition begins with a contract and certification

First, a publisher tells Sony or Microsoft that it wants to release a disc version. The publisher then signs a contract accepting financial responsibility for the manufactured inventory, after which the game must successfully complete the platform holder’s certification process.

Once approval is secured, the publisher chooses the cover art and the required disc capacity. The report says several additional manufacturing and administrative stages still follow, making a physical edition substantially more complicated to produce than many players may assume.

Basic manufacturing can consume roughly 15 percent of the retail price

According to the report’s estimate, the basic production expense is “around 15 percent of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.” For a game priced at $70, that works out to a little more than $10 for each copy.

The bill rises when a larger-capacity disc or several discs are needed. That pressure may help explain why many boxed games include only part of their data and require a substantial download before they can be played.

Margins on physical copies are therefore much smaller than those generated by all-digital sales. The expected decline of discs is not merely a technical or preservation issue; it is also a significant business calculation, even as the mechanics of making those discs remain surprisingly guarded.

Source: TheGamer