Former Infinity Ward strategist Robert Bowling said an Activision executive floated ending physical game discs in 2007, during development of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He described it as an idea, not a decision, and said publishers wanted to avoid resale and disc fees. Activision did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
Bowling’s account comes amid criticism of Sony’s decision to discontinue discs as of 2028. He attributed the timing to more gamers buying digital games than physical copies; that was his explanation, not a reason given by Sony in the excerpt.
