‘That’s what we value as players’: Clair Obscur leads say Sony’s decision to stop making discs is ‘super sad’
It’s also meaningful for a developer to hold a physical copy in their own hands, they say
The lead developers of Clair Obscur have given their takes on Sony’s decision to stop making physical discs.
It has now been a month since Sony announced that physical disc games will be discontinued for PlayStation consoles from January 2028, and the decision continues to see fierce debate online.
Now, in an interview with Automaton, project leads on Clair Obscur have said that while they understand the reasons for Sony‘s decision, it’s still disappointing news.
“Personally, I find it super sad because I really like video game stores,” Sandfall Interactive CEO and creative director Guillaume Broche said. “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.”
Sandfall co-founder and CTO Tom Guillermin added that the studio insisted on releasing a physical version of Clair Obscur, despite making less profit on those copies, because it was an important thing to do.
“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,” Guillermin explained. “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.
“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.”
“It starts feeling real when you see it in stores”
As well as the importance of physical copies to players, Broche added that it was also a meaningful thing for a developer to able to hold a finished product in their hands, as a symbol that their work was complete.
“There were two very strong moments when the game released,” he recalled. “After launch, we went to a video game store to buy our own game. Just as a gesture.
“And another strong memory I have is when someone from Japan sent me a picture [of our game] from a video game store – in Akihabara I think – in Japanese writing and all. I felt like a kid when I saw it. I was like ‘yeah, it’s real!’ It starts feeling real when you see it in stores.”
Lead character and concept artist Alan Reynaud added: “Even now when I’m going to the supermarket or something, if I see our game in a store, it always makes my day. It’s a bit selfish, because it’s our game, but it always makes me go ‘oh!’
“Knowing that may not be possible again makes me a bit sad. And maybe it’s the child in me, but I like to go outside, buy a game, and come back home with it. It’s a nice feeling.”
“And it’s not just because it’s ‘our game’,” Reynaud interjected. “I think what’s cool [about physical games in general] is that a few years later, you’ll have your box, and you can hold it and look at the title and remember all the memories that are linked to the game.”
