Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 generated a substantial share of its PlayStation revenue through physical copies, according to new estimates from Alinea Analytics, adding fresh context to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s plan to stop producing discs for new PlayStation games in 2028.

Alinea analyst Rhys Elliott estimates that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 generated roughly $1.2 billion in gross revenue on PlayStation 5, with about 35% of that revenue coming from physical sales.

The figure is not an official Sony disclosure. Alinea provides third-party market estimates, and Elliott’s broader analysis puts Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at about $1.3 billion in revenue across platforms.

The distinction matters because Sony has publicly framed its move away from discs around changing consumer behavior, while Elliott argues that the economics of digital distribution are also central to the decision.

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced in July that physical game disc production for all new games released on PlayStation consoles will end in January 2028. Games that launch before that point are not affected by the policy.

In its official announcement, Sony said consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry have continued shifting from physical media toward digital distribution. The company said the transition would bring its release strategy more closely in line with how most of its community now accesses games.

Elliott offers a different interpretation of the business incentives behind the change.

He argues that the disc decision is largely about margins, control and reducing the role of the secondhand market. A physical sale generates less value for Sony than a digital sale because retailers take a cut and physical products carry manufacturing and distribution costs.

That does not mean Sony has said eliminating used games is the reason for ending discs. The claim is Elliott’s analysis of the economics behind the policy, while Sony’s stated explanation remains the shift in consumer preference toward digital formats.

Alinea’s estimates also suggest that physical revenue remains particularly important for the premium single-player games traditionally associated with PlayStation Studios.

According to Elliott, Astro Bot generated about 47% of its PlayStation revenue physically, Stellar Blade about 43%, Death Stranding 2 about 42% and Ghost of Yotei about 38%. By comparison, the more online-focused Helldivers 2 was estimated at only about 8% physical revenue.

That contrast helps explain why the end of physical releases has generated such a strong response among parts of the PlayStation audience. Even if digital sales dominate the broader market, some of Sony’s most prominent single-player releases still appear to have a comparatively large physical component.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of PlayStation’s biggest recent first-party successes. Sony officially announced that the Insomniac Games title sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide in its first 24 hours in October 2023, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game at the time.

Alinea’s latest estimates suggest that the title has continued generating significant revenue well beyond that launch window, while also illustrating the amount of money that can still come from physical copies of a major PlayStation release.

For Sony, the tradeoff is therefore not simply whether discs still sell. The strategic question is whether the company believes higher margins and greater control over digital distribution can outweigh the revenue and customers that physical releases continue to attract.

ARTICLE CREDIT:

News story written by Mike Lima.

Source/Further reading:

Primary source/reference link: https://alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/sony-divorces-kojima-while-nintendo