Robert Bowling, former creative strategist for the Call of Duty series, told Decrypt that as early as 2007, game publishers like Activision proposed going fully digital and ceasing physical disc production. This move aimed to avoid the used game market and circumvent platform fees charged by Xbox and PlayStation, thereby maximizing profits. He noted that publishers were the sole drivers behind eliminating physical discs, reflecting a divide within the industry between viewing games as pure software products and as works of art or collectibles. Previously, Sony's decision to stop disc production from 2028 sparked a strong consumer backlash.