Former Square Enix Executive Predicts Lower PlayStation Store Prices if PS5 Discs Disappear
The future of PS5 games could become fully digital, and not everyone is convinced that is good news for players. With Sony expected to reduce or eventually phase out physical PS5 disc production in the coming years, many gamers are worried that the PlayStation Store could become the only major place to buy new PlayStation games.
That concern has fueled ongoing debate over digital game pricing, ownership, and competition. Some lawsuits have even argued that the PlayStation Store gives Sony too much control over how games are sold on its platform. If physical retailers disappear from the equation, players fear that there will be fewer ways to find cheaper games, trade in old titles, or buy used copies.
However, Jacob Navok, a former Square Enix business executive, believes an all-digital PlayStation future could actually lead to lower prices for consumers.
Navok argues that if physical PS5 games vanish from stores, publishers will place more focus on the PlayStation Store. In his view, that could create stronger competition between game companies inside the digital marketplace. Instead of retail stores competing for sales, publishers themselves would have to fight harder for player attention, which may result in more frequent discounts and better deals.
His argument is based on how digital storefronts work. Publishers can quickly adjust prices, launch temporary sales, create bundles, and respond to market demand faster than they can with physical inventory. A boxed game sitting on a retail shelf has shipping, manufacturing, storage, and resale considerations. A digital game can be discounted instantly and globally.
Navok also pushes back against the idea that Sony directly decides the price of every third-party game on the PlayStation Store. According to him, publishers set the prices for their own games on digital platforms. That means companies selling games on PlayStation may still have strong reasons to lower prices, especially if they are competing against dozens of other major releases.
He also suggests that competition between different digital game stores does not always guarantee lower prices for players. While rival storefronts may give publishers better revenue shares, that does not automatically mean those savings are passed on to customers. In his view, what matters more is publisher competition within the marketplace itself.
The comparison many players make is with PC gaming, where prices for major titles often fall over time through seasonal sales, publisher promotions, and dynamic pricing. Navok believes the PlayStation Store could see similar trends if it becomes the main destination for PS5 game purchases.
Still, many gamers remain skeptical.
The biggest concern is that removing physical PS5 discs would weaken consumer choice. Today, players can buy new games from multiple retailers, wait for store discounts, purchase second-hand copies, borrow games, lend them to friends, or resell titles they no longer play. In a fully digital PlayStation ecosystem, most of those options disappear.
That matters because digital ownership is very different from owning a disc. A physical game can be kept, collected, traded, or sold. A digital purchase is tied to an account and platform rules. If a game is removed from sale, licensing terms change, or an account is restricted, players may feel they have less control over their libraries.
There is also the issue of used games. The second-hand market has long helped players save money, especially on expensive console releases. If PS5 discs are phased out, used game stores and private resales could be heavily affected. For budget-conscious gamers, that loss may outweigh any future PlayStation Store discounts.
Critics also argue that Sony still benefits financially from every PlayStation Store transaction through platform fees. Even if publishers choose the listed prices, Sony’s role as the storefront owner gives it major influence over the digital economy. That is why some legal challenges are focused on whether PlayStation should allow alternative ways to buy digital games.
For now, the debate remains unresolved. A digital-only PlayStation future could bring faster discounts, more flexible pricing, and publisher-driven sales. But it could also reduce ownership rights, eliminate used game options, and give players fewer places to shop.
The key question is whether lower PlayStation Store prices would be enough to make up for the loss of physical PS5 games. For some players, convenience and regular digital sales may be worth it. For others, the ability to own, trade, and resell discs remains too important to give up.
