PM Studios, the Las Vegas-based physical publisher behind Black Myth: Wukong's boxed edition, has labelled the apparent end of PlayStation disc distribution "sad and devastating" for its two-decade business of pressing games onto discs and cartridges.

The publisher first reached US shelves roughly 20 years ago by bringing Korean rhythm-action series DJMax to American retailers, and has since carved out a steady revenue line on disc-based console releases and a parallel cartridge catalogue. PlayStation has historically anchored that disc pipeline, and reports of Sony moving away from physical media cut directly into PM Studios' core operation.

A PM Studios representative told Games Industry.biz: "It's sad and devastating" — describing the loss of the disc channel the company has developed since the mid-2000s.

What does PlayStation's disc shift mean for mid-sized physical publishers?

The change effectively halves the addressable Western market for boxed console software. Sony's PlayStation installed base has consistently generated the largest share of third-party physical sales outside Nintendo's first-party lineup. Removing the disc option on future PlayStation hardware eliminates the platform on which most Western boxed revenue originates.

For PM Studios specifically, the impact lands on a publisher that has shipped high-profile boxed releases alongside a steady run of niche titles. Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science's 2024 action RPG, was among its most visible recent SKUs, sitting next to rhythm titles, retro compilations and reissues aimed at collectors.

Where can PM Studios redirect its pipeline?

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 cartridges remain the most viable substitute. Nintendo has shown no appetite to abandon physical media on its mainline consoles, and the cartridge format continues to support smaller print runs of third-party software. PM Studios' existing relationships with Korean rhythm publishers — anchored by its early DJMax work in the US — position it to lean harder into that business. Cartridge runs demand higher minimum orders than disc pressing, which constrains smaller titles but supports premium collector SKUs.

Xbox Series X discs offer a smaller secondary channel. Microsoft has tilted its hardware strategy toward digital delivery and Game Pass subscription access, leaving physical as a niche that serves a committed collector base rather than a primary revenue driver.

A third option — exiting physical publishing — would mark a strategic retreat for a company that has defined itself by boxed editions for two decades.

What signal is worth watching next?

The decisive question for PM Studios and similar distributors is whether Sony formalises the disc phaseout with an official hardware revision, and whether any remaining PlayStation 5 disc SKUs continue to accept new third-party physical releases. Distributors are also tracking Sony's terms with third-party publishers to determine whether boxed editions of upcoming PS5 software will still ship, or whether the disc pipeline is already functionally closed for new releases. PM Studios' near-term slate, including any planned Black Myth: Wukong reprint or sequel tie-in, will be the first concrete signal of how the publisher intends to absorb the loss.