After Scrapping Discs, Sony Might As Well ‘Go All the Way’ and Scrap Consoles Too, Disgaea Creator Says

Others in the Japanese game industry have also weighed in on Sony’s decision, with many raising concerns about the risks to game ownership and preservation in a digital-only future. Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima expressed concern about how access to digital content can easily be withdrawn, removing the purchaser’s ability to own and use it when they wish. More recently, Kojima said of Sony’s decision that “I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad.” Nier creator Yoko Taro also echoed these sentiments in a recent tweet where he urged people to buy physical game releases while they still can.

Sony’s statements point clearly to games being digital only on the upcoming PS6, which is likely to be some kind of hybrid console/handheld, if comments from Sony CEO Nishino are anything to go by. It’s still unclear whether Sony will offer some kind of disc drive add-on that will enable gamers to play their discs from previous generations, or whether physical game collectors will just have to stick with older hardware.

Going forward, it seems that true physical games (where everything is actually in the box and ready to play) could become a niche, expensive product, only released in limited quantities by companies like Super Rare and Limited Run, who have a long track record of re-releasing physical games on various platforms.

This week, it was claimed that Sony knew its decision to kill PlayStation 5 discs would spark outrage, and reportedly has issued staff with the “strictest” social media guidelines to stop them from publicly commenting on the controversy.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.