Ubisoft CEO downplays disc impact
Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot said Sony's decision to discontinue physical disc games for PlayStation consoles from January 2028 will not significantly disrupt the games industry, arguing that the PC market's shift to digital helped expand the overall market and could lead to more affordable consoles. Speaking during Ubisoft's first quarter 2026-27 earnings call, Guillemot acknowledged trade-offs but said he did not expect the transition to be massively disruptive.
CFO echoes digital benefits
Ubisoft chief financial officer Frédérick Duguet fielded analyst questions about whether losing the used-game market could create a demand headwind, and aligned with Guillemot's framing. He said going digital-only could reduce pressure on hardware costs and produce a more accessible machine, adding that the company did not expect the policy shift to disturb the industry materially.
Backlash continues to mount
Sony's decision, announced earlier this month, continues to draw heavy criticism online. PlayStation YouTube uploads, including trailers for indie titles not previously receiving physical releases, have seen comment sections flooded with complaints and jokes about the absence of discs, with many videos attracting more dislikes than likes. A Change.org petition urging Sony to reverse course has reached roughly 340,000 signatures, though the company shows no public indication of reconsidering.
Sony's Austrian plant pivots away from discs
Sony's largest disc production facility in Austria has begun reassigning staff and investing approximately €30 million in new equipment to manufacture optical microlenses instead. Workers at the site are already being retrained on the new product line as the company winds down PlayStation disc manufacturing well ahead of the January 2028 cutoff.
Ubisoft reports mixed quarterly results
Separately on the same earnings call, Ubisoft said Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has sold 3.5 million units and exceeded annual expectations in its first two weeks. Overall, the publisher posted a 9% year-over-year decline in net bookings, attributed in part to a tough comparison with the prior-year quarter that included the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ubisoft declined to update its full-year guidance, citing the early stage of the current fiscal period.
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