Ubisoft’s president, Yves Guillemot, believes that ending the distribution of PlayStation games on discs will potentially bring some benefits.
Game publishers are divided on what the announced end of disc distribution of PlayStation games means for the gaming industry. Some think that the physical distribution of games still has a sufficient fan base, and thus the value that comes with it. Others see potential revenue growth by eliminating the used games market.
Among this second group is the head of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemotwho told Ubisoft’s investors that the discontinuation of disc games will not have a drastic effect on his company’s business. On the contrary, Guillemot sees it as an opportunity for growth.
“With the PC platform, we’ve seen that doing away with physical distribution of games has helped the market grow. As we currently have pricing pressure on future gaming devices, I would say that doing away with discs will help us help us get cheaper consoles. There are pluses and minuses, but overall we think that this decision will not harm the gaming industry.” – said Guillemot.
How will ditching physical distribution of games lead to cheaper consoles? The assumption is that the next generation of consoles it will not come with a disc reader includedat least not in a package. Thus, the cost associated with the disc reader is reduced.
However, what Guillemot does not mention is the fact that it is the disc reader is one of the cheapest components in today’s consoles. The current difference between the prices of PlayStation 5 Standard and Digital Edition consoles is only 50 euros. So if future consoles break through the thousand euro limit, as predicted, the saving of a miserable €50 on the basis of a disc reader will hardly come as a consolation to anyone.