Ex-Blizzard President Demands ‘Digital Promise’ From Disc-Less Platforms

The sharp decline of physical media has been the talk of the town recently, with Sony just announcing that they’re scrapping physical discs from 2028, leaving what seems like hundreds of thousands of fans furious with the direction PlayStation is heading in.

Many have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the matter, and that includes the previous Blizzard president, Mike Ybarra, who demands that a “digital promise” must be made by platform holders, such as PlayStation, XBOX, and Nintendo.

Mike Ybarra Has Some Strong Feedback For A Disc-Less Future

Taking to X, Mike Ybarra shared his thoughts on the recent news that Sony will be moving to an all-digital future from 2028. He describes it as a “real bummer,” especially for children who receive video games for Christmas and birthdays.

In response, he lists five points that must be addressed by platform holders, with the key one being a “digital promise for consumers.” There’s a real fear that owning games digitally doesn’t guarantee their use, with the possibility of the title being revoked from stores or game libraries a genuine cause for concern.

After all, Sony themselves just removed over 500 films from people’s libraries, despite having previously paid for them. It all boils down to licensing agreements—who’s to say this can’t happen with future PlayStation titles? With that in mind, Ybarra implores that we cannot live in a “world of fear if our games will work in the future or not.”

Second on the list was a call for innovative game sharing. It was as easy as passing the disc to somebody else before, but now, it’s a far trickier and more limited process. Along with this, an improvement to the console Store was a suggestion, as Ybarra asked to be able to sell games back to the community for Store credit, with a “used game marketplace” a must.

The final two points revolved around better communication and an ability to showcase our digital libraries, though the aforementioned criteria certainly hold more weight. Would Sony or other platforms consider these changes? Time will tell, but considering an increase in price for PlayStation Plus is reportedly on the cards, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

What do you think of Mike Ybarra’s suggestions? Would they soften the blow of a digital future? Share your thoughts in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.

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