The newest generation of consoles has been around for basically five years, which is just over half of the typical console lifespan. One of the biggest changes that came with this generation of consoles is the option to buy a version of each console with and without a disc drive. The PS5 Pro, in particular, has the option to purchase an attachable disc drive. With all of this being said, gamers are rapidly transitioning to a more digital lifestyle, and this is very apparent in Sony’s latest corporate report.
Sony Reveals Gamers Buy More Digital Games on PS5
We have known that the age of digital games has been rapidly approaching. With the addition of PS5 systems without disc drives, gamers now have the option to go completely disc-free, opting to download all of their games instead of purchasing them from a store. Before this, PCs went completely digital, and Nintendo even began selling digital codes at stores.
What percentage of physical games do you think are included in Sony’s profits? Is it 20%? How about 10%? Well, the actual percentage of revenue generated by physical games for Sony is only 3%. This was revealed as part of Sony’s FY2024 corporate report, where it is shown that only 3% of Sony’s revenue was from physical titles. On the other hand, digital games made up 20% of the company’s revenue.
Of course, there are some grey areas in this. Physical games consist of first-party disc sales, third-party sales royalties, and bundles. Digital games consist of first-party and third-party game sales purchased through the PS Store.
Either way, the percentage difference is pretty astounding, with digital games making up nearly seven times the revenue as physical games. It shows that the gaming industry is very rapidly turning to being fully digital. Perhaps the next generation of consoles won’t even have a disc drive option.
