Game Publishers Pushed to Halt Physical Disc Production Since 2007
Current overview (not historical)
Game publishers began advocating for the cessation of physical disc production around 2007. Robert Bowling, a former Infinity Ward employee, stated that discussions to stop disc production occurred during the development of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, but were ultimately rejected by Activision management. Decrypt reported that the long-term push for full digitalization by game publishers aimed to maximize profits and combat the secondary market. Sony currently plans to stop disc production in 2028. Despite a boycott petition gathering over 387,000 signatures, the shift in consumer habits towards digital purchasing is cited as a primary driver for this trend.
Written with AI from the reporting · updated 10/24/2026
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- 1Unclassified fact stationOct 24, 23:41single sourcereport-time onlyrevised
游戏发行商2007年起推动停止实体光盘生产
Read original source ↗ DecryptReplay this moment in the explorerEvidence & revisions · 1 source records
- Subject：
- Robert Bowling
- Action：
- 回忆发行商关于停止实体光盘的提议
- Object：
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 开发期间的光盘生产
- Occurred (fact side)：
- not recorded
- Published (valid side)：
- Oct 24, 23:01
- First seen (known side)：
- Oct 24, 23:41
Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimRevisedReport-time onlyCopy may have been revised later; time replay is bounded. Layer labels group reading only, not causation between layers.
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- DecryptRelated fact: single sourceFact occurrence time unverifiedSource report revisedInfinity Ward Veteran Says Game Publishers Pushed to Cut Physical Discs Since 2007
Report first recorded Oct 24, 23:41
Robert Bowling, a former Infinity Ward employee, stated that game publishers, including Activision during the development of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, have long pushed to move fully digital to maximize profits and combat resellers like GameStop. While publishers attempted this for nearly two decades, Sony's current plan to cease disc production by 2028 is attributed to a shift in consumer habits toward digital purchases, a move that has drawn pushback from over 387,000 people who signed a "Don't Kill the Disc" petition.
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