GameStop CEO Shrugs Off Sony’s Disc Phaseout

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen says Sony’s plan to stop producing new physical PlayStation games from January 2028 is effectively meaningless to the retailer.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Cohen dismissed the impact outright.

“It doesn’t matter at all.” “It mattered in the past; software makes up less than 12% of the business. Collectibles makes up over half of the business, so it’s totally irrelevant.”

The stance is blunt, but it lines up with GameStop’s current business mix. As Bloomberg noted, physical and digital games together account for just 18% of GameStop’s total revenue. The company has shifted heavily toward collectibles, including items like Pokémon cards, which now make up the majority of the business.

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Sony’s decision has triggered a strong backlash from players who see physical discs as a safeguard for ownership. A digital-only future would leave games and other media tied entirely to platform holders, and critics point to Sony’s recent removal of more than 500 purchased movies from user libraries as evidence of that risk.

Sony has argued that the shift reflects how people already buy games, with digital purchases now dominating. But many players say ending discs removes a buying option that still matters, especially because PlayStation Store prices may not fall as low as those available through second-hand sellers and game retailers.

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So far, Sony has not publicly responded to the backlash, and Cohen’s comments are unlikely to help those pushing to keep physical game releases alive.