Disgaea Creator Blasts Sony for Dropping Discs, Says PlayStation Might as Well Abandon Consoles Too

Sohei Niikawa, the creator of Disgaea and former CEO of Nippon Ichi Software, has criticized Sony's decision to phase out physical games, claiming the executives behind the move don't "understand the feelings" of affected fans.

Earlier this month, Sony announced that starting January 2028, it will no longer produce disc releases for new games. The decision sparked widespread backlash online, with fans even venting their frustration in the comments of trailers for upcoming third-party titles.

In an interview with Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026, Niikawa, who was promoting his upcoming game Demons’ Night Fever (a speedrun-training simulation RPG), shared his thoughts on Sony's move.

"From a purely business perspective, I understand why Sony would make that decision," said Niikawa, who led Nippon Ichi Software from 2009 to 2022. "However, the executives who decided this have probably never attended an event like Anime Expo and had someone approach them with a physical game asking for an autograph. I don’t think they understand what physical editions mean to the people who value them."

Niikawa added, "If they’re going to eliminate physical packages, they might as well eliminate the hardware too. A television would suffice. Why do you need the console? If you’re getting rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way."

Sony's digital game sales have been surging for years, far outstripping physical releases. For instance, only seven PlayStation games have sold over 100,000 physical copies in the US so far this year. Sony has framed its disc phase-out as following the behavior of current PS4 and PS5 owners. In an official PlayStation blog post, the company described moving away from discs as "a natural direction" as it adapts "to consumer trends where digital media significantly outpaces physical discs."

Despite this trend, the backlash highlights that physical media—especially owning a game on disc—remains crucial for many. As Niikawa noted, there's value in having something tangible to display on a shelf. However, disc-less boxes with download codes inside don't satisfy many, as seen by the backlash to GTA6's physical release.

From a conservation perspective, games that ship on disc but require patches or only contain part of the game (e.g., 007: First Light) have become a growing issue during the PS4 and PS5 generations. This raises questions about the value of a physical game that can't be played without a server download.

Other Japanese game industry figures have also weighed in. Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima expressed concern about digital content being easily revoked, removing the purchaser's ability to own and use it at will. He recently said, "I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad." Nier creator Yoko Taro echoed this sentiment in a tweet urging people to buy physical games while they still can.

Sony's statements strongly suggest that games will be digital-only on the upcoming PS6, which is expected to be a hybrid console/handheld based on comments from Sony CEO Nishino. It remains unclear whether Sony will offer a disc drive add-on for playing older discs or if physical game collectors will have to stick with older hardware.

Going forward, true physical games—where everything is on the disc and ready to play—may become a niche, expensive product, released in limited quantities by companies like Super Rare and Limited Run.

This week, reports claimed that Sony knew its disc decision would spark outrage and has issued staff with "strictest" social media guidelines to prevent public comments on the controversy.