The CEO of Bloober Team — the Polish studio behind the critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake — has publicly committed to producing physical retail versions of the studio’s games for as long as the format remains viable, even as PlayStation moves towards an entirely digital future.
“If we are able to produce a retail version of our games, we would like to make them for as long as possible,” Piotr Babieno told GamesRadar+ in a recent interview. The statement comes against the backdrop of Sony’s pledge to cease PlayStation disc production by 2028, a move that threatens to make physical console gaming a niche pursuit for the first time in the medium’s history.
A Collector’s Instinct
Joining Babieno in the interview was Tymon Smektala, the newly appointed executive director of Broken Mirror Games — Bloober’s in-house horror publishing subsidiary — and former creative lead of the Dying Light franchise. Both men framed their commitment to physical media as deeply personal, rooted in an era when being a gamer meant being a collector.
“Both me and Piotr, we are from the era where being a gamer meant you are a collector of stuff,” Smektala said, gesturing to the shelves of games and memorabilia visible behind him during the video call. “If I could unblur my screen, you would see lots of stuff behind me. This is what gaming is to us. This is the gaming I know, and this is the gaming I expect.”
For Babieno, the argument extends beyond nostalgia. He described physical collecting as creating “an emotional connection between the game and me, between the studio which produced the game and me” — a bond that digital distribution, for all its convenience, cannot replicate. “This little emotional touch is so important that, I think in some way, we would lose the opportunity of being closer with our fans without it,” he said.
The Business Reality
Babieno was careful to acknowledge the commercial logic behind Sony’s digital pivot. “We do know how P&L works and that digital distribution is much easier, much cheaper, and will be more profitable for everyone,” he said. The economics are straightforward: no manufacturing costs, no logistics, no unsold inventory, and a direct relationship with the consumer. For platform holders, the margin differential is enormous.
Yet the studio’s position suggests that profitability is not the only metric that matters. Physical editions — particularly collector’s boxes, limited runs, and special packaging — have become a significant revenue stream for studios willing to invest in them, and they serve a marketing function that digital storefronts struggle to match: shelf presence, gift-giving potential, and the kind of tangible brand loyalty that drives long-term fan engagement.
Onyx and the Tactile Future of Horror
The discussion of physical media arose in the context of Onyx: The Dark Grip, an upcoming horror title developed by Bloober Team and published through Broken Mirror Games. The game will be one of the first Switch 2-exclusive third-party horror titles, and notably the first built entirely for the console’s handheld mode — a deliberate choice that Babieno frames as part of a broader philosophy about the senses.
“We have reached a moment where you can’t really do much more in that direction of visual and auditory fidelity,” Babieno argued, referencing the diminishing returns of graphical upgrades. “The game can have a slightly higher resolution and maybe better lighting, but will it make it a more engaging game? I don’t think so.”
Instead, he pointed to the other senses. “As humans, we have four other senses, and AI can deliver something for what you see, for what you hear, but why not touch? I think the physical element of gaming will always, always be there.” The handheld-exclusive design of Onyx is, in this framing, an attempt to put horror “back in your hands” in a literal sense — using the device itself as a conduit for the experience.
The Silent Hill Question
The commitment to physical media raises immediate questions about Bloober Team’s next major project: the remake of the original Silent Hill, announced in June 2025. The Silent Hill 2 remake shipped on PC and PlayStation 5 in 2024 with a full disc release. But with Sony planning to end PS5 disc support by 2028, and no release date yet confirmed for the original’s remake, it remains unclear whether the next Silent Hill will arrive in physical form.
If the remake releases after 2028, Silent Hill 2 could become Bloober Team’s last Silent Hill title to receive a physical PS5 release — alongside Cronos: The New Dawn. The studio’s stated intention to continue physical releases “for as long as possible” suggests they will explore alternative formats or platforms if necessary, but the window for disc-based console gaming is visibly closing.
Whether the broader industry follows Bloober’s lead or accelerates towards a fully digital future remains to be seen. For now, at least one of horror gaming’s most prominent studios is on the record: physical media matters, and they intend to fight for it.
