A rumor from the Gamescom show floor spread quickly on r/PS5. It came from a podcast by Eurogamer Spain and was written up by MP1st. The post itself was clear that these are unverified rumors that "should be treated with a grain of salt."
What the rumor says
According to the report, several publishers were talking about PlayStation reconsidering or delaying its move to digital only. The claimed reason was Microsoft, which was said to be telling publishers that its next console, Project Helix, would be "100% physical," with a way to convert physical games into digital ones.
The rumor went further. It said a major game maker, reportedly not Rockstar, had told Sony it would skip PlayStation and release its big title on Microsoft and Nintendo platforms instead if Sony could not promise a physical release.
Most commenters did not buy it
The thread reached more than 9,000 upvotes, but the replies were mostly skeptical. The top comment asked what "100% physical" even means, since Xbox has only announced a disc to digital feature and nothing about future physical support.
Others went through Xbox's history: it launched an all digital console years ago, invested heavily in Game Pass and pulled back from physical retail in many regions. A commenter in Brazil said the last physical Xbox release there was Halo Infinite. One person thought the disc to digital feature was designed to soften the blow before Xbox goes digital itself.
Another reply questioned the logic of a publisher skipping PlayStation over discs, when that commenter believes physical sales are only a small share of the total.
Why some people still cheered
Not everyone dismissed it. One commenter said they would take "whatever it takes" to delay a digital only future. Another suggested the big game in question might be The Witcher 4, since CD Projekt Red had just said it would get a physical release.
A more cynical reply suggested people should embrace the rumor anyway, since public pressure is what might actually change Sony's plans.
Our take
Treat this as a rumor until Sony or Microsoft says otherwise. What the thread does show is that demand for physical games is loud enough for companies to notice. Sony's decisions are shaped by what players buy and say, and the clearest signal is showing that people still want to own, trade and collect physical games.