![[The Korean Desk]Short-Form and AI Fill the Space the Disc Left Behind](https://cdn.media.bluedot.so/bluedot.kentertechhub/2026/07/o47uxw_202607022239.jpeg)
Sony's 2028 disc shutdown, Shortical's $100 million, and Deloitte's $7.8 billion forecast sketch where content is headed
Three stories set the industry buzzing this week. Sony PlayStation announced it will end physical disc production for new games after January 2028. Shortical, an Israeli micro drama app, raised $100 million behind its push into AI series. And Deloitte forecast that micro drama app revenue will more than double this year to $7.8 billion.
Jung Han
In the very week the disc era PlayStation opened in 1994 was handed its closing date, capital and research each wrote down the same answer about where entertainment's weight is shifting: mobile short-form and AI production.
With digital downloads at 78% of PlayStation full-game purchases, and AI cutting hourly production costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars to a fraction, the industry's money and distribution are moving toward formats that are short, vertical, and instantly consumable.
1. 1994→2028 — the disc era gets its closing date
PlayStation 5. From January 2028, new games will be sold in digital formats only.
Sony Interactive Entertainment said in an official blog post on July 1 that new games for PlayStation consoles will be sold only in digital formats after January 2028, through the PlayStation Store and at retailers. Games released on disc before then are unaffected. Sid Shuman, SIE's senior director of content communications, grounded the decision in the long migration of consumer preference — across gaming and entertainment at large — from disc to digital.