Sony's decision to abandon physical game releases is unlikely to change Nintendo's strategy, according to Circana senior director and video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella in a statement to VGC.
Following Sony's announcement that PlayStation will stop releasing disc based games starting in January 2028, along with reports that Microsoft is preparing for a digital only Xbox future, Piscatella believes Nintendo will likely remain the only major console manufacturer supporting physical media through at least the end of the Switch 2 lifecycle.
«My gut says Nintendo does what Nintendo wants to do, and I don't see them changing anything in their plans based on what Sony or Microsoft do. Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse», — he said.
Piscatella stressed that this is not insider information but his own assessment based on years of industry experience. He also believes physical editions are not going away completely. Even if discs disappear, publishers are expected to continue offering boxed releases with download codes, collectibles, merchandise, and other bonuses.
«It's not like boxes on shelves will go away entirely. There will be more codes in box, more merch, and more special editions with extra goodies», — Piscatella explained.
At the same time, he argued that Sony's decision and Microsoft's reported plans should not come as a surprise. According to the analyst, sales of physical games have been declining every year since the late 2000s, meaning the industry's transition toward digital distribution has been underway for nearly two decades.
«A lot of players will be justifiably unhappy with these decisions. But physical media in video games will only last as long as console manufacturers allow it to. We're now one step closer to its death. It's a sad day for the video game industry», — he concluded.
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