Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 made 35% of revenue from physical sales as Sony exits discs

Sony’s decision to end PlayStation physical discs in January 2028 is being framed as a response to player habits, but estimates from Alinea Analytics suggest the company is also leaving substantial physical-game revenue on the table. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 generated an estimated $1.2 billion in gross revenue, with physical sales accounting for 35 per cent of that total, according to analyst Rhys Elliott’s latest newsletter, as reported by GamesRadar+.

PlayStation physical discs: why Sony is ending them

Sony has already announced the change, and our earlier report on the PlayStation physical disc phaseout covers the original policy. Sony’s follow-up on the 2028 PlayStation disc exit looks at how the company is handling the backlash.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shows what physical sales still contribute

The estimate puts Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s physical revenue at roughly $420 million. That is not a unit-sales figure: Elliott’s analysis measures revenue, and physical copies generally sell at higher prices than heavily discounted digital editions. The estimate also covers a prestige single-player release, a category with a stronger physical audience than live-service games.

Other Sony-linked titles show a similar pattern. Ghost of Yōtei generated an estimated $400 million in gross revenue, with physical sales making up 37.6 per cent. Astro Bot generated $275 million, with physical sales accounting for 46.8 per cent. Death Stranding 2 generated $129 million, with 41.8 per cent coming from physical sales, according to Elliott’s estimates.

The figures are not directly comparable with Sony’s often-quoted digital-sales percentages because those figures generally refer to units rather than revenue. A game can sell fewer physical copies than digital copies while still receiving a large share of revenue from boxed releases.

Why Sony still prefers digital sales

Elliott argues that the issue is not whether physical games still sell, but how much of each sale reaches Sony. “A disc dollar is worth less to Sony than a digital one, as there’s the retailer cut, manufacturing and distribution,” he wrote.

Sony’s official position is that physical disc production for new PlayStation games will end in January 2028 because “the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs”. New releases will still be sold through retailers, but in digital formats, according to the PlayStation announcement.

Elliott’s reading is more commercial. He argues that ending discs gives Sony greater control over pricing and distribution while removing the second-hand market. Digital sales also keep the platform holder closer to the full transaction value, rather than splitting it with manufacturing, distribution and retail partners.

That leaves Sony balancing a known cost against a known revenue stream. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shows that physical sales remain a large part of the business for major single-player games, even if digital sales are more profitable per transaction.

What happens to PlayStation games in the UAE?

The policy applies globally, including the UAE, from January 2028. PlayStation games released before then, or games that Sony has already committed to releasing on disc before the change, are not affected by the announcement. New games will continue to be sold through retailers and the PlayStation Store, but physical releases will no longer include a game disc.

For UAE players, that removes the option to buy a boxed copy, lend it, trade it in or resell it after finishing a game. Digital purchases will remain tied to the PlayStation account used to buy them, while physical copies already in circulation will continue to work.

The result will be less choice for players who rely on used games and more control for Sony over the sale, pricing and access to new PlayStation releases.