Ken Kutaragi says keeping PlayStation discs is economically unreasonable
Sony plans to halt production of disc-based PlayStation games starting in January 2028, citing players’ increasing preference for downloads.
Former PlayStation executive Ken Kutaragi says continued game disc production does not make economic sense, although he understands players’ anger over Sony’s decision to end it. He discussed the change with VGC on October 15 during the Game Republic New Horizons conference in Middlesbrough, England.
For players, discs have become a representation of game ownership, Kutaragi said. Drawing a comparison with smartphones, he argued that widespread connectivity has made people comfortable receiving content without physical media because they expect to retain access.
Kutaragi oversaw development of the original PlayStation as well as PS2 and PS3. He departed Sony in 2007 and now operates his own companies, so his remarks reflect his personal views rather than Sony’s position.
Sony disclosed the production plan in July. Downloads represented 82 percent of full-game purchases for PS4 and PS5 in the April–June quarter. Revenue from physical software was ¥20.5 billion, while game software revenue overall reached ¥526.6 billion. CFO Lin Tao said on July 31 that Sony would proceed cautiously amid strong player sentiment; a petition opposing the change had surpassed 352,000 signatures.
The ownership issue also featured in Sony’s response to a federal class action in California in August. The company argued that reasonable consumers understand downloaded games come with revocable permission to play, not ownership.
