Sony DADC’s Thalgau Plant Currently Producing 600,000 Discs Daily Will Retrain All 300 Employees for Microlens Manufacturing as PlayStation Goes All-Digital
Sony’s disc manufacturing plant in Thalgau, Austria, will cease PlayStation disc production by January 2028, as the facility pivots to making optical microlenses instead. The plant currently produces around 600,000 discs every day, with PlayStation discs accounting for roughly half of that output. Gamer Matters
According to company management, around €30 million were recently invested in new technology for the production of optical microlenses at the Thalgau plant, with mass production set to begin as early as 2027. Employees are already being reassigned to the new technology, meaning it is highly unlikely this particular facility will be able to reverse course.
There are currently 300 employees at the plant, who were informed about the restructuring on Wednesday. Layoffs are not expected, with Sony DADC CEO Dietmar Tanzer confirming the employee count will be maintained.
Optical microlenses are used to focus and direct light in the smallest of spaces, with one application being a car turn signal projected onto asphalt, according to Markus Streibl, head of Micro Optics at Sony DADC.
Sony has not simply announced a future policy; it has already spent €30 million, reassigned workers, and installed new production lines. The physical disc era for PlayStation is not ending. It has already ended.
Check out our previous coverage of Sony, PlayStation and the gaming industry on The Trusted Times.
