Sony’s Decision To End Physical Discs Is ‘Super Sad’ ,Says Expedition 33 Director

Sony’s move away from physical game discs has disappointed the developers behind Game of the Year 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Expedition 33’s Developers Still Value Physical Games

Speaking about the future of boxed games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche and lead programmer Tom Guillermin expressed disappointment over Sony’s decision to stop producing physical discs.

In an interview with Automaton, the developers called the decision “super sad” and emphasized that physical ownership is something they value as players, not merely as game creators. 

Personally, I find it super sad because I really like video game stores. And even if nowadays, I play mainly on PC myself, we have a lot of people on the team who play on PS5 and love to collect physical discs. I think it’s part of the beauty of art too – that it’s something tangible that you can touch. I completely appreciate that people want to have their rows of DVDs and games and just feel that they own them. So I think it’s a shame. I mean, business-wise, I can understand why it may make sense, but I think in terms of the artistry of video games, it’s a sad decision.  – Guillaume Broche

A physical edition is more than another product SKU for collectors; it provides a tangible copy that can be displayed, shared, resold, and preserved without depending entirely on a digital storefront.

A Boxed Expedition 33 Release Was Not Easy

Sandfall Interactive still pushed for a physical version of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, even though producing one came with drawbacks. Sandfall’s CTO Tom Guillermin said there is more loss per unit in a physical copy, but they still pushed for people who enjoyed physical releases.

A physical release adds more constraints because you have to account for the production time of the physical items, and you also earn less money per copy. 

So even though it made things harder and meant less money per unit, it was important for us to provide players who want to have the physical game in their hands with an option. Because that’s what we value as players too. – Tom Guillermin

Physical editions require manufacturing, distribution, inventory planning, and coordination between a developer and its publishing partners. Those complications are especially relevant for a smaller studio that cannot rely on the enormous production runs available to the industry’s biggest publishers.

It was the harder route, but they still took it because to them physical was special.

But for us, physical was something special. We also felt that the game could be special to players, and that they would want to, as Guillaume said, hold it in their hands.  – Tom Guillermin

The team reportedly purchased boxed copies of its own RPG, which says plenty about how personally it viewed the release.

To add to that, there were two very strong moments when the game released. After launch, we went to a video game store to buy our own game (laughs). – Guillaume Broche

Digital Convenience Comes With A Preservation Problem

Digital distribution is convenient, immediate, and frequently cheaper for publishers. However, an all-digital market gives platform holders substantially more control over availability, pricing, and long-term access.

Physical games are not a perfect preservation solution; updates, online requirements, and incomplete disc builds complicate that argument, but removing them eliminates one of the few ownership options players still have.

Sony’s decision does not mean boxed PlayStation games will disappear overnight. It does, however, point toward an industry increasingly comfortable with leaving physical media behind.

For Sandfall’s developers and plenty of players, that future is difficult to celebrate. Expedition 33 becoming a physical object clearly meant something to the team, and that feeling cannot be replicated by another tile in a digital library.