It's no secret that physical media is a dying art. With a litany of streaming services, such as Hulu, Max and Netflix, there's almost no need to collect Blu-rays and boxed sets. And with the advent of Microsoft's Game Pass, along with massive discounts digitally via Steam or PlayStation Network, so too has physical games gone out of vogue. Heck, you can even purchase a digital-only console at a modestly cheaper cost.

That said, while physical media is dying in the sense that there are more avenues to enjoy things digitally, that hasn't stopped the sale of physical copies. It's still possible to walk into a GameStop or Target or wherever and purchase a game on its release date. That's at least for the time being, because Best Buy announced plans to end selling movies, and more big box stores could follow suit.

While those retailers could follow Best Buy's lead, or choose not to altogether, it sounds like they eventually might not have a choice. That's because, according to reporting from The Mainichi, Sony is looking to cut a significant portion of employees from its Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture manufacturing base. That base is responsible for the production of Blu-rays, and the reporting paints a bleak picture for employees and physical media collectors.

Sony Plans To Eliminate 250 Jobs, Per Report
In its report, The Mainichi notes that the Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture manufacturing base is home to approximately 670 employees. Of that figure, Sony reportedly plans to eliminate 250 jobs. That figure is close to 40% of the plant's workforce. More so, senior employees will be offered an early retirement package, per the report.

The planned cuts and buyouts stem from a decline in demand for physical media, like Blu-ray discs, with the likes of Netflix and Hulu dominating the sphere of streamable media. What's more, according to The Mainichi, Sony will eventually cease production of Blu-rays altogether in the future. A timeline for that decision was not included.

While it's been abundantly clear for some time that movies, TV and gaming were heading towards an all-digital future, there was still hope of a reality where physical media could still exist. Saturday's news obviously puts a huge gash in that hope. That said, the PS5 and Xbox Series X still have disc-based models, so there's still a good chance that for their remaining duration, games will come out as usual. After that, well, that's when things get dicey.



Posted: Jul 02, 2024 8:56 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/sony-is-reportedly-gradually-stopping-production-of-blu-ray-discs-physical-media-collectors/