In brief: As streaming and other forms of digital distribution become the default for media consumption, major manufacturers have exited the optical disc market in recent years. Recognizing that demand for Blu-rays has not completely evaporated, particularly in Japan, two companies have promised to continue supporting the technology with new hardware and software.

In an official announcement translated by Automaton West, the two firms recently confirmed plans to strengthen their partnership to maintain the supply of Blu-ray discs and players in Japan. Verbatim and I-O Data acknowledged that, despite the rise of digital distribution, individuals and businesses still use optical discs for recording, storage, and other purposes.

Verbatim announced a new Blu-ray writer, called the Slimline, for recording 4K video to UHD Blu-ray at CES 2025. Earlier this year, I-O Data released the BD Reco external Blu-ray drive with a 6x write speed and an accompanying Microsoft Store app, which was enthusiastically received by Japanese users – many people in the country like to record TV shows onto Blu-ray discs.

I-O Data and Verbatim made a similar pledge to continue producing Blu-ray drives and discs last year, after Sony announced plans to exit the recordable disc business, which it finalized this past February. The company hoped to pivot its optical media business toward cold storage, but the move proved unsuccessful. LG and Panasonic also ceased manufacturing Blu-ray players.

The renewed determination from I-O Data and Verbatim to continue supporting Blu-ray comes mere weeks after two other external drive manufacturers, Elecom and Buffalo, announced their impending departure from the market. Elecom will cease production on June 30.

As the tech world slowly phases out optical media, Japan has stubbornly held onto Blu-rays. In 2023, Pioneer revealed an ultra-durable recordable Blu-ray format to comply with Japanese legislation requiring digital tax records to be preserved for 100 years. Meanwhile, when Microsoft ended official support for Windows 10 last year, external Blu-ray drives sold out in Tokyo's Akihabara district as local users scrambled to upgrade their operating systems using physical discs. Fujitsu even released a laptop equipped with an internal Blu-ray drive around the same time.

Blu-ray recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Following its introduction at CES 2006, the format fought a brief war with HD DVD to deliver home media in high definition. Sony would promote Blu-ray through its PlayStation 3 home console later that year.

However, despite its higher quality, the Blu-ray business never overtook the DVD market. Although sales of both formats have steadily declined for years amid the rise of digital distribution, many people, even some younger users, prefer purchasing discs to retain a sense of ownership over their media and disconnect from internet services.