Ken Kutaragi, ex-Chairman and Group CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has revealed during an interview with VGC during the Game Republic New Horizons event last week that he understands why some consumers are more than a little miffed at Sony’s decision to stop production of physical game discs in January 2028.
When asked about his thoughts on Sony’s decision to end game discs on PlayStation, Kutaragi, who oversaw the production and release of the original PlayStation, PS2, and PS3, acknowledged that the decision “caused some friction with game enthusiasts,” although he believes it’s no longer “economically reasonable” for the company to produce discs.
“Although we had network capability back in the PS2 and PS3 days, it was not that common [as it is today]. Now, many, many people are connected,” he commented. “I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for ‘owning’ games. I really understand that mentality… But nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content. So it’s a mentality.”
I’m not the CEO at PlayStation anymore, but we still have some common [viewpoints]. Right now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has many people who have come from outside, like from Gaikai or streaming companies. So it’s understandable that by utilizing network connectivity [they may see] PlayStation as not just a game console, but also a content terminal. Maybe that’s how those people are thinking. But this has caused some friction with game enthusiasts.
Kutaragi isn’t the only former PlayStation executive to comment on Sony’s decision to end physical game discs. Shawn Layden, who served as chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, touched on the subject recently during an appearance on the Expansion Podcast, where he argued that “if you can’t sell a thing, that means you don’t own a thing.”
[Source – VGC]