Zach Cregger Weighs in on the Physical Media Debate Ahead of Sony’s ‘Resident Evil’

The filmmaker told IndieWire that digital downloads suit his chaotic collecting habits just fine — but he also sympathizes with customers concerned they could lose access to media they’ve already paid for.

Zach Cregger loves “Resident Evil,” but you won’t find him literally collecting the games.

The filmmaker behind Sony’s new “Resident Evil” adaptation, produced in association with PlayStation Productions and in theaters on September 18, recently told IndieWire that he prefers digital downloads — not because he’s against physical media in theory, but because he can’t keep track of it in practice.

“I’m not a physical media guy,” Cregger said. “I mean, I have been in my life, but I tend to lose and damage things very easily. So, I am not bent out of shape if I’m downloading a game, because at least it means it’s always going to be there when I need it.”

Well, maybe. “Now, I know there’s a lot of people saying, ‘Not always, dude, because they can just delete it and then you’ve paid for it,’” Cregger continued. “And, yeah, that’s too bad. I don’t like that.”

The sentiment lands at an especially precarious moment for physical video games.

Sony announced this summer that new titles released for PlayStation consoles beginning in January 2028 would no longer be produced on physical discs: a move many characterized as accelerating the video game industry’s overall shift toward digital storefronts and consumer access governed by revocable licenses. That existential change could make Cregger’s preferred format less of a personal choice for other gamers — who may or may not enjoy the same organizational benefits.

“I just don’t have room in my physical space for all of the games that I want to own,” the director said. “And I lose them. I always do. I always lose and break stuff. So no, I’m fine with downloading.”

To be clear, Cregger wasn’t responding to any specific Sony decision, nor was he attempting to criticize PlayStation or any other video game publisher. The filmmaker, also known for the Oscar-winning “Weapons,” was simply acknowledging the big physical media discussion happening right now.

As IndieWire previously reported, about 500 previously purchased StudioCanal titles were set to disappear from PlayStation customers’ video libraries in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe on September 1 because of expiring licensing agreements. And more broadly, movies and games increasingly share audiences, aesthetics, characters, and even critical language — as both sectors move toward models of digital-only access that some critics fear will diminish the entertainment experience on either side of anarrowing consumer-rights divide.

Cregger’s “Resident Evil” is itself well-positioned to bridge that gap. Instead of recasting the games’ iconic heroes in live-action, Cregger built his big-screen take on Raccoon City around an original character: Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who looks and acts more like an ordinary player than a mutant-fighting cop. From the film‘s selective over-the-shoulder framing to its richly imagined environmental puzzles, this affectionate narrative expansion thoughtfully translates the unforgettable feeling of playing “Resident Evil” into Cregger’s razor-sharp cinematic language.

“I just wanted to make the ‘Resident Evil’ movie that I’ve always wanted to see,” he said. “When I play ‘Resident Evil,’ I’m generally moving in a panic from one terrible situation to the other. And I want a character that’s going to have the reactions I have when I play the games.”

Judging by the roughly 30 minutes of footage IndieWire was shown ahead of the film’s release, Bryan also appears to have inherited his creator’s shaky relationship with inventory management. Of course, it’s a testament to Cregger that watching an original character dig through drawers for ammo only reinforces the sense that, on screen or console, his version is unmistakably real “Resident Evil.”

Sony Pictures will release “Resident Evil” in theaters on Friday, September 18.