Disgaea Creator Slams Sony for Scrapping Discs, Says PlayStation Might as Well 'Go All the Way' and Scrap Consoles Too

Disgaea creator and erstwhile Nippon Ichi Software CEO Sohei Niikawa has criticized Sony’s determination to ditch carnal games, and said that the executives liable didn't "understand the feelings" of impacted fans.

Earlier this month, Sony announced that from January 2028 onwards it volition nary longer nutrient disc releases of caller games. This determination triggered immense backlash online, with fans adjacent expressing their choler astatine Sony successful the comments connected trailers for upcoming 3rd enactment games.

Noisy Pixel interviewed Niikawa astatine Anime Expo 2026, wherever helium was promoting his upcoming game, Demons’ Night Fever, which describes itself arsenic a speedrun-training simulation RPG. He besides gave his sentiment connected Sony’s determination to ditch carnal disc releases.

"From a purely concern perspective, I tin recognize wherefore the radical astatine Sony would marque that decision.” said Niikawa, who was CEO of Nippon Ichi Software betwixt 2009 to 2022. “However, the executives who decided it person astir apt ne'er experienced coming to an lawsuit similar Anime Expo and having idiosyncratic attack them with a carnal crippled to inquire for an autograph. I don’t deliberation they recognize the feelings of those fans, and they whitethorn ne'er person considered what carnal editions mean to the radical who worth them."

Nikawa past added that "If they’re going to spell arsenic acold arsenic eliminating carnal packages, they whitethorn arsenic good destruct the hardware too. A tv would beryllium enough. Why would you request the console? If you’re going to get escaped of carnal games, you whitethorn arsenic good spell each the way."

Sony’s integer crippled income person been connected the emergence for years, acold outselling carnal releases. For example, conscionable 7 PlayStation games person sold much than 100,000 carnal copies successful the US truthful acold this year. Sony person framed their determination to halt releasing discs arsenic pursuing existent PS4 and PS5 owners’ behavior. In the announcement connected the authoritative PlayStation blog, Sony framed phasing retired discs arsenic "a earthy direction” for Sony arsenic the institution is adapting "to user trends arsenic the wide penchant for integer media importantly outpaces carnal discs."

Despite this trend, the backlash shows that carnal media, particularly the enactment of owning a crippled connected a disc, is inactive precise important to many. As Niikawa referenced, determination is the value of having thing carnal to enactment connected your shelf. However, a disc-less container with a download codification wrong conscionable doesn’t chopped it for many, arsenic shown by the backlash to GTA6’s carnal release.

From conservationists’ constituent of view, games getting a disc merchandise that lone contains portion of the crippled (see 007: First Light for a caller example) oregon which necessitate a spot download to relation decently has been a increasing contented successful some the PS4 and PS5 generations. This calls into question whether determination is immoderate worth astatine each successful having a carnal crippled that can’t adjacent beryllium played without a download from a server.

Others successful the Japanese crippled manufacture person besides weighed successful connected Sony’s decision, with galore raising concerns astir the risks to crippled ownership and preservation successful a digital-only future. Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima expressed interest astir however entree to integer contented tin easy beryllium withdrawn, removing the purchaser’s quality to ain and usage it erstwhile they wish. More recently, Kojima said of Sony’s determination that "I grew up with carnal media, truthful I find it truly sad." Nier creator Yoko Taro besides echoed these sentiments successful a caller tweet wherever helium urged radical to bargain carnal crippled releases portion they inactive can.

Sony’s statements constituent intelligibly to games being integer lone connected the upcoming PS6, which is apt to beryllium immoderate benignant of hybrid console/handheld, if comments from Sony CEO Nishino are thing to spell by. It’s inactive unclear whether Sony volition connection immoderate benignant of disc thrust add-on that volition alteration gamers to play their discs from erstwhile generations, oregon whether carnal crippled collectors volition conscionable person to instrumentality with older hardware.

Going forward, it seems that existent carnal games (where everything is really successful the container and acceptable to play) could go a niche, costly product, lone released successful constricted quantities by companies similar Super Rare and Limited Run, who person a agelong way grounds of re-releasing carnal games connected assorted platforms.

This week, it was claimed that Sony knew its determination to termination PlayStation 5 discs would spark outrage, and reportedly has issued unit with the "strictest" societal media guidelines to halt them from publically commenting connected the controversy.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.