Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa has weighed in on Sony’s reported move away from physical media, arguing that if PlayStation stops supporting boxed games and discs, the company should also rethink the role of dedicated hardware. His comments add a prominent industry voice to a debate that has already drawn strong reactions from players and developers.
According to the report, criticism has been building since Sony announced on 1 July that it intended to move away from the production and sale of physical media. The response has not been limited to consumers, with people working in the games business also pushing back on what an all-digital future could mean for the platform.
Niikawa’s position appears to center on the idea that physical media and console hardware are closely connected. In that view, removing one changes the value and identity of the other. His remarks stand out because they come from a well-known creator associated with a long-running RPG series and reflect wider unease about the direction of the market.
The discussion highlights how Sony’s digital strategy is becoming a broader industry flashpoint, not just a retail change. As more publishers and platform holders explore digital-only distribution, reactions like Niikawa’s show that the future of PlayStation hardware and physical ownership remains a major issue for the gaming audience.
