It might have been a few weeks since Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the imminent end of new PlayStation discs, but it’s still a topic that rankles with gamers worldwide. The revelation proved to be a damning one for PlayStation’s brand identity, and now, you can’t move on social media in the gaming space without seeing another take on the situation.
Recently, a new interview was published featuring Sohei Niikawa, the creator of the Disgaea franchise and former CEO of Nippon Ichi Software, a company closely aligned with the PlayStation platform since 1995. In this interview, Niikawa makes a damning statement against Sony.
Why Stop At Cutting Out Discs?
In an interview with Noisy Pixel, Sohei Niikawa, famed for the creation of the Disgaea series, showed how critical he is of Sony’s decision to eliminate PlayStation discs.
From January 2028, no new PlayStation games will have discs printed. Instead, the tech titan is pushing for a digital-first future, in response to consumer trends and changing technology. This was a decision that was likely not made lightly, and it has had dire ramifications across the industry thus far.
I think physical editions of games are very important.
For fans, being able to keep a game they love as an object can have a great deal of value. It becomes a memory or a keepsake connected to something that matters to them.
From a purely business perspective, I can understand why the people at Sony would make that decision.
But he then made a rather hot take that proved to be the gem of the interview:
If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too. 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.
In many ways, we’ve seen services like that surface over the years. With the right television set, you can install applications like XBOX Game Pass, Amazon’s Luna service, or another platform like Blacknut, and use your TV to stream games. All you need is the television, an internet connection, and a compatible controller, and you’re off.
The only issue is that the cloud technology that powers these solutions is still flawed and reliant on an internet infrastructure that isn’t up to scratch.
Do you think Sohei Niikawa is right? Let us know your thoughts about the situation on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out what this former Forza director said about Game Pass, and for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You’ll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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