Astrolabe pledges “continue till the last day” for PS5 discs past 2027

Astrolabe Games is drawing a line in the sand as Sony moves to stop making physical PlayStation games in 2028. On July 10, the Chinese publisher released its A-GO Manifesto, a response to Sony’s plan, and it includes a blunt pledge from its founder: “continue till the last day” for making game discs, as stated in a tweet on July 1.

The core promise is time-boxed and concrete. “Everything on the current Astrolabe slate, which runs up to the end of 2027, will be eligible for a run on disc,” the publication says. Those disc runs will be at least “minimum order” quantities and will ship in at least one of the territories Astrolabe distributes to: Europe, the United States, and Asia. So while Sony’s deadline is 2028, Astrolabe is essentially trying to lock in physical momentum before then, then figure out what happens when Sony’s physical pipeline effectively disappears.

To understand why this matters to executives and boards, it helps to translate “minimum order” into real-world constraints. Minimum order is the baseline quantity a manufacturer allows if you buy wholesale. The article gives an example: wherever Astrolabe gets its “circular plastic” from might have a minimum order of 5,000. That implies at least 5,000 copies would be made in that scenario. The purpose of this kind of minimum is profitability and predictability for manufacturers. It is not a guarantee the discs will match the size of demand in every market.

And demand is the tricky part. The manifesto and the reporting make it clear there are “no guarantees these discs will reach all three regions.” That means if a specific title is compelling but not picked up everywhere, players might need to import copies. The piece even flags a likely tilt: Asia could be prioritized because Astrolabe is based there. But for collectors who want specific games, the consequence is simple and immediate: you may pay extra just to get the disc you want.

Astrolabe also built escape hatches into the commitment. The publication lists exceptions where discs might not be possible even if the release is in the eligible slate. Examples include “new policies” making disc-creation impossible, situations where devs cannot lock down a releasable version by the deadline, or when distribution channels are already at capacity by the time of release. That last one is a subtle but important operational reality: physical is not just manufacturing. It is also logistics, storefront access, and the availability of partners willing to handle additional SKUs.

The market context is the bigger pressure underneath all of this. Sony’s move to stop making physical PlayStation games in 2028 is described as having the industry “reel” into a new posture where digital distribution becomes the default. In that world, a publisher guaranteeing discs through end of 2027 is taking a stance that physical is not merely nostalgia. It is a sales channel with supply chain costs, inventory risks, and customer loyalty benefits, all wrapped into one tangible product.

Astrolabe is not alone in caring about the argument either. The reporting points to an industry analogy from an analyst, comparing Sony ending physical games to “Apple removing the CD Drive from its laptops,” plus the follow-on claim: “Not a single person is complaining about it today.” The contrast is doing work. Sony is betting customers will shrug. Astrolabe is betting the opposite, at least long enough to make its current slate feel real in hands, not just on screens.

For now, there are already three games confirmed for disc runs: Gurei, Fall Up, and Omega Phenex Commended Project Six. The publication expects more to follow in the months ahead. Then the clock shifts from Astrolabe’s manufacturing readiness to Sony’s non-existent pipeline for discs after 2028. For executives tracking this, the strategic stake is clear: physical may be shrinking, but it is also concentrating. Whoever controls the last workable runway for manufacturing, distribution, and collector access between now and the 2028 cliff could influence revenue mix, partner leverage, and brand perception across Europe, the United States, and Asia.