Physical media is having a moment, and not in a good way. Sony's planned exit from disc-based gaming has split the industry down the middle, drawing reactions from developers, publishers, and players alike. The latest voice to weigh in? Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft.
Guillemot was speaking during a Ubisoft financial call, the same one where the company confirmed Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced had already shifted 3.5 million copies within its first 14 days. Someone on the call asked whether Sony's disc-ditching plans worried him, either directly for Ubisoft or for the broader games market. His answer was measured, but clear.
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What Guillemot actually said
"What we saw on the PC is that it helped to grow the market," Guillemot said. "There's also some pressure for the future on the cost of machines, and being able to be only digital will help to have a more accessible machine. There are pluses and minuses. But we think it will not disturb, too much, the industry."
Here's the thing: he's not wrong that PC gaming set the template. Steam and its competitors turned an entire platform fully digital years ago, and PC gaming has only grown since. The argument that removing a disc drive makes hardware cheaper and therefore more accessible has real logic behind it.
But the console market isn't the PC market. Millions of physical copies still move every year, and a meaningful chunk of the player base relies on physical retail, whether for gifting, resale, or simply internet access reasons. The shift won't be invisible.
The cost argument, and its limits
Guillemot's point about hardware costs is the most interesting part of his response. Console prices have climbed sharply, and the next generation is shaping up to be even more expensive. If removing a disc drive shaves a meaningful amount off the launch price of a PS6, that matters to players who are already stretched thin.
The counterargument is that a discless console needs more onboard storage to compensate, and storage isn't cheap either. You're trading one hardware cost for another, and the consumer still ends up paying somewhere.
The numbers do support the general direction of travel. Capcom reported that 93 percent of its game sales were digital in the past year, and Sony's own financial data shows physical now represents a small minority of its software revenue. The trajectory is clear, even if the full transition isn't here yet.
An industry divided on disc drives
Guillemot's relaxed take puts him at odds with several other industry figures who have been much more vocal. Hideo Kojima described Sony's move as making him "sad." Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa went further, suggesting that if Sony is removing discs, it might as well stop making hardware entirely. Sega's president has come out in support of preserving physical media.
The key here is that most of the pushback isn't coming from publishers who stand to lose physical sales revenue. It's coming from creators and smaller studios who see disc-based ownership as tied to game preservation, consumer rights, and the long-term health of the medium.
Guillemot, running one of the largest publishers in the world, has a different vantage point. Ubisoft's revenue skews heavily digital already, and a cheaper console entry point means a larger addressable market. From that angle, the maths probably do look fine.
For players who care about PS5 visual performance in the meantime, our Ghost of Yotei optimal PS5 settings guide covers exactly how to get the most out of current-gen hardware while the format debate plays out.
The physical media conversation isn't going away. With Sony's timeline still being confirmed and major titles like GTA 6 reportedly skipping disc releases entirely, the pressure on physical retail is going to intensify fast. Keep an eye on our gaming guides hub for ongoing coverage as the next-gen picture comes into focus.
