Players themselves are to blame for Sony's abandonment of physical games, says former Valve writer
According to Chet Faliszek, it was the mass shift of players to digital purchases that forced major publishers to reconsider long-term plans.
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek, who worked on games like Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead, commented on Sony's abandonment of physical game versions. In his opinion, the responsibility for the industry's shift to digital distribution lies primarily with the players themselves.
In a video published on YouTube, Faliszek criticized participants in the Sony boycott, stating that the company is merely reacting to consumer behavior, not imposing a digital format on them.
You, the consumers, have already made your choice — and that choice is in favor of digital purchases.
He pointed out that physical copies of games are still available for sale today, but most users prefer to purchase projects digitally. As an example, Faliszek cited the GameStop chain, which once almost entirely dealt with game sales, and now receives only about 18% of its revenue from new and used game editions.
The former Valve employee also referred to Sony's financial report. According to company data, in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, 85% of game software sales came from digital versions, and for the entire year, their share was 78%.
According to Faliszek, there is no reason to believe that Sony is deliberately distorting statistics to justify its strategy.
Companies are not deceiving customers — they are simply reacting to their preferences. Users themselves have shown that they want to buy games instantly, without leaving home.
In addition, the developer noted that the actual scale of digital sales could be even higher, as statistics do not take into account the Steam platform, where games are distributed exclusively in digital format.
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