‘They May As Well Eliminate the Hardware Too’: Japanese Dev Says Sony ‘Doesn’t Understand’ the Feelings of Fans

Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa has criticised Sony's decision to stop manufacturing physical PlayStation discs from January 2028, arguing at Anime Expo that the company fails to appreciate what physical copies mean to fans emotionally. Speaking to Noisy Pixel, as reported by Push Square, he contended that if Sony is prepared to abandon physical packaging altogether, it might as well scrap dedicated hardware too, since games could simply be streamed via a television without any need for a console. His comments add to a broader wave of fan criticism directed at Sony's move, even though industry figures largely accept that boxed game sales have been declining steadily.

Niikawa acknowledged there is sound commercial logic behind the shift, but argued this purely numbers-driven reasoning overlooks the sentimental value physical discs hold: fans treasure them as keepsakes, get them signed at events, and display them at home. Push Square's editor broadly echoed this sentiment while noting that local hardware still offers advantages in image quality and responsiveness over streaming. The remarks sparked further debate among readers and commenters, with some predicting Sony could eventually pursue a fully cloud-based, subscription-style model, and others suggesting Japanese developers may increasingly favour rival platforms such as Nintendo Switch, though the discussion has not prompted any response or change of course from Sony itself.