Sony's decision to end physical disc production for new PlayStation games from 2028 has drawn criticism from across the industry. Here's the thing though: few responses have been as blunt as the one from Sohei Niikawa, creator of the Disgaea tactical RPG series and former president of Nippon Ichi Software.
Speaking at Anime Expo 2026, Niikawa didn't mince words. If Sony is going to pull physical games from the equation entirely, he argues, the console itself becomes redundant. "If they're going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too," he said. “A television would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you're going to get rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way.”
What physical media means to the people who actually buy it
Niikawa's argument isn't just about convenience or format preference. His position is rooted in what physical games represent to the fans who collect them. "For fans, being able to keep a game they love as an object can have a great deal of value," he explained. "It becomes a memory or a keepsake connected to something that matters to them."
The setting of his comments adds weight to that point. At an event like Anime Expo, fans regularly bring physical copies of games to get signed by creators. Niikawa noted that fans can bring a physical game to an event, have someone sign it, take it home, and display it. That kind of tangible connection to a game simply doesn't exist with a digital license.
His read on why Sony made the call is telling too. He said he can understand the decision "from a purely business perspective," but believes the executives behind it have probably never had a fan walk up to them with a disc to sign. "I don't think they understand the feelings of those fans, and they may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them."
The broader industry pushback Sony didn't anticipate
Niikawa is far from alone. The announcement has drawn criticism from developers and publishers across the board. Nier: Automata creator Yoko Taro said he was saddened by the loss of physical media. Hideo Kojima called a streaming-only future "frightening," pointing out that in a fully digital world, you don't actually possess the data yourself. Publishers working on PS5 titles have argued that physical games reach audiences that digital storefronts simply can't.
The backlash has been significant enough that Sony's own social posts on the topic have been flooded with responses from players defending physical media. The general preference for digital that Sony cited as justification for the move is clearly not as universal as the company's internal numbers suggest.
Where this leaves the console itself
Niikawa's logic about hardware becoming pointless without physical media is more than a rhetorical flourish. Cloud gaming infrastructure is advancing fast. Xbox's Game Pass Ultimate already allows a wide range of devices to stream games without dedicated hardware, though it requires a constant internet connection and offers a narrower library than local play. Sony itself updated the PlayStation Portal last year so it no longer requires a PS5 to stream digital games, though that still requires the most expensive tier of PS Plus.
The trajectory is clear, even if the destination isn't settled yet. A console that exists purely as a digital storefront gateway starts to look a lot like an expensive streaming box. For a series like Disgaea, which has built a loyal collector base over more than two decades and regularly releases limited physical editions with art books and merchandise, that shift carries real commercial consequences.
What most players miss in this conversation is that the physical vs. digital debate isn't just about nostalgia. It touches game preservation, resale rights, regional access, and the ability to play without an internet connection. Niikawa's comments cut to the core of that by asking the simplest possible question: if the box can't hold a disc, what exactly are you paying for?
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