Former PlayStation Boss Shawn Layden Says Sony Can't Get Away With Making PS6 Disc-less

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden highlights Sony's significantly larger global market share. Removing physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their player base.

Layden points out that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries, unlike Sony's widespread dominance across approximately 170 nations. He questions the feasibility of a disc-less console for users in regions with unreliable internet infrastructure, citing examples like rural Italy. He also mentions other groups reliant on physical media, such as athletes traveling with consoles or military personnel on bases with limited connectivity. Layden suggests Sony is likely assessing the potential market loss associated with abandoning physical games.

The debate surrounding disc-less consoles has intensified since the PlayStation 4 generation, fueled by Xbox's digital-only offerings. Both PlayStation and Xbox offer digital-only console versions (PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and Xbox Series S), but Sony has yet to commit fully to a disc-less model, particularly given the option to add a disc drive to even their high-end PS5 models. This contrasts with Xbox's focus on Game Pass, a subscription service that mirrors Sony's PlayStation Plus Games Catalog. The ongoing decline in physical media sales and the increasing prevalence of online-only game installations further fuel this discussion. Games like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla (likely a typo, should be Assassin's Creed Valhalla or another title) and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor exemplify this trend, requiring internet access even for disc-based installations. The practice of including what was once a second disc on a physical release is now handled as downloadable content.

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The continued availability of disc drives on even the high-end PS5 models, despite the rise of digital distribution services, suggests Sony is carefully considering the implications of a fully digital future.