Sony’s decision to phase out physical PlayStation game discs has reignited concerns about the future of video game preservation, with the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) warning that the industry is moving toward a future where preserving games legally may become nearly impossible.
According to VGHF founder and director Frank Cifaldi, the continued shift toward digital-only releases is forcing archivists into an increasingly difficult position: either preserve games through methods that may violate copyright law, or risk allowing parts of gaming history to disappear forever.
Digital-Only Shift Raises New Preservation Concerns
On July 1, Sony confirmed that it will stop producing new PlayStation game discs beginning in January 2028. Existing games on disc will continue to be supported, and titles already in production will still receive physical releases, but future PlayStation games are expected to be distributed digitally.
Sony is not the only publisher moving in this direction. Other companies have already reduced their reliance on physical media, including Take-Two Interactive, which recently confirmed that copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 will ship as download codes rather than traditional game discs.
For preservation groups, these decisions represent more than just a change in how players buy games—they fundamentally alter how games can be archived for future generations.
VGHF Says Legal Preservation Options Are Running Out
The Video Game History Foundation has spent years digitizing historical gaming material and working alongside developers and publishers to preserve gaming history.
However, Frank Cifaldi says those efforts have repeatedly run into legal roadblocks. According to him, attempts to work with industry organizations to establish a scalable, legal preservation framework have failed to produce meaningful progress.
Without permission from publishers, archivists often cannot legally create or distribute preservation copies of games, even when there is a significant cultural or historical interest in keeping them available.
Digital Games Present Different Risks
Historically, preservation focused on aging cartridges and optical discs that could physically degrade over time. While recovering those games can already be difficult—especially when original source code has been lost—the rise of digital-only games introduces a different set of challenges.
Games that exist exclusively on online storefronts may disappear entirely if publishers remove them from sale, discontinue servers, or implement DRM systems that prevent independent archival efforts.
Unlike a physical disc that can still function decades later, a digital-only title may become inaccessible if authentication services or storefront infrastructure are eventually shut down.
Growing Debate Around Ownership
The discussion also highlights broader concerns surrounding digital ownership.
Unlike physical games, digital purchases are generally licensed rather than permanently owned, giving publishers greater control over distribution and access. While companies have not indicated plans to remove large portions of their game libraries, preservation advocates argue that centralized digital storefronts create a single point of failure if licensing, business decisions, or technical issues affect long-term availability.
For organizations like the Video Game History Foundation, that raises questions about how future generations will be able to study and experience today’s games decades from now.
Preservation Remains an Industry Challenge
As more publishers embrace digital-only distribution, the conversation around preservation is expected to become increasingly important.
While digital releases offer convenience and lower manufacturing costs, preservation groups continue to argue that long-term access requires cooperation between publishers, platform holders, and archivists. Without a legal framework that supports preservation, concerns remain that some games could eventually become unavailable despite existing only in digital form.
