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[riko]

Disgaea Creator Says PlayStation Should "Get Rid Of The Hardware" If Physical Games End

Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa says PlayStation should eliminate its hardware if physical games disappear, arguing boxed editions create lasting fan connections.

noisypixel.net

During an interview with Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026, Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa shared his thoughts on Sony's reported plans to end physical PlayStation game production beginning in 2028. While he understands the business reasoning behind the move, Niikawa-san believes physical games represent something digital releases can't replace: a lasting connection between developers and fans. In case you missed it, check out our preview of Niikawa-san's upcoming game, Demons' Night Fever.

Niikawa-san pointed to fan interactions at conventions as an example. He said boxed games become personal keepsakes that players can bring to events, have signed by developers, and display afterward as reminders of experiences that meant something to them.

"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.

They can also bring that physical game to an event like this and ask someone to sign it. Afterward, they can take it home, display it, and decorate their room with it. Physical games are important because they can carry that kind of meaning."

For Niikawa-san, that connection is part of being a game creator. Physical copies become reminders of the people who made them just as much as the games themselves.

Although he understands the business perspective behind moving away from physical releases, Niikawa-san questioned whether Sony's leadership has experienced that side of game development firsthand.

"From a purely business perspective, I can understand why the people at Sony would make that decision. However, the executives who decided it have probably never experienced coming to an event like Anime Expo and having someone approach them with a physical game to ask for an autograph.

I don't think they understand the feelings of those fans, and they may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them."

Niikawa-san followed that thought with a blunt conclusion about the future of PlayStation hardware if physical games disappear entirely.

"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."

The comments came during a broader conversation about Demons' Night Fever, Niikawa-san's upcoming strategy RPG from SuperNiche and Arc System Works. Although much of the interview focused on the game's unconventional design philosophy, he didn't hesitate when asked about the future of physical media. For Niikawa-san, boxed games remain part of the relationship between creators and the people who play their work.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Ok, this is a dumb take if ever there was one.

Why would you need the console? A television is enough?

Yup... dumb take.

He must have never bought a PC game in his life.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I, too, enjoy sentimentality.

 

[kasrkinsquad]

They really should just upgrade the PS6 for full blown Windows Full Screen and make an appstore. It would suck less then doing another lock down console. They just really need to buy times to either forge relationships with 3rd party devs and use them to get back to releasing games people want or drop the dead end studios they have and buy new ones. People will age out or eventually get turned off by the constant price hikes.

Their future is gonna be about selling games to customers on the devices they own. Unless they wanna go the way of Blockbuster.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

If people don't have connections to physical things anymore, he's right. Just stream and pay a subscription.

 

[DarkLordOtaku]

He's alluding to the next step of the plan, which is to just lock their user bases into subscription services.

 

[MagiusNecros]

If Sony are abolishing physical media then not much reason for a console if their new console is just the medium to access a digital storefront.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Niikawa-san pointed to fan interactions at conventions as an example. He said boxed games become personal keepsakes that players can bring to events, have signed by developers, and display afterward as reminders of experiences that meant something to them.

He's wrong. Fans can still bring in something to sign at conventions. It's just that instead of a boxed copy, it'll be a print out from their Gmail.....

 

[MisterXDTV]

Another day, another shitty take on the internet, what's new?

 

[kaizenkko]

If people don't have connections to physical things anymore, he's right. Just stream and pay a subscription.

If people want those connections, would be good if they actually buy physical games. But that's apparently the hard part of the discourse.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

If people want those connections, would be good if they actually buy physical games. But that's apparently the hard part of the discourse.

Well... by that logic, if people stop buying trad consoles then that is the next logical step in the great take-away.

 

[Topher]

I'm pissed too, but that doesn't make much sense

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

This literally makes no sense.
So what are 85% of PlayStation users buying if not digital games? Or steam users? Etc…

 

[Generic]

I would get rid of hardware ASAP if lag-free cloud gaming existed.

 

[NovaSe7en]

He must have never bought a PC game in his life.

Uh, yeah... less than 3% of Steam users are Japanese. Physical media is very important to them culturally in a way that it isn't to the west. They still buy music on CDs, and it's partially for the reasons he stated.

 

[TheLikou]

Ok, this is a dumb take if ever there was one.

Why would you need the console? A television is enough?

Yup... dumb take.

He must have never bought a PC game in his life.

You can just stream, dumbass, that's what he is talking about.

 

[rkofan87]

He's wrong. Fans can still bring in something to sign at conventions. It's just that instead of a boxed copy, it'll be a print out from their Gmail.....

you mean a receipt for your rental copy

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Imagine PS6 just being an app.

 

[Represent.]

Another dumbass argument from one of these people

 

[Skifi28]

Imagine PS6 just being an app.

At least you'd be able to download more RAM.

 

[Trilobit]

He's wrong. Fans can still bring in something to sign at conventions. It's just that instead of a boxed copy, it'll be a print out from their Gmail.....

I asked a certain someone to autograph your copy:

 

[BennyBlanco]

Weird take aside anyone tried this?

I love D3/D4/D5 but 6 and 7 kinda stink. I saw this on Steam the other day and had never even heard of it.

 

[uncreativename]

I don't think that conclusion makes much sense, but I can see why someone who puts loving care into making single player games that have like 1289128912 hours of gameplay would value physical editions of games especially highly, and would have something to say about this. These businesspeople absolutely don't think about games that way, though .

e: wow Disgaea looks uh really different now from how I remember it on the ps2 lol BennyBlanco

 

[Loomy]

"From a purely business perspective, I can understand why the people at Sony would make that decision. However, the executives who decided it have probably never experienced coming to an event like Anime Expo and having someone approach them with a physical game to ask for an autograph.

I don't think they understand the feelings of those fans, and they may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them."

There seems to be a disconnect between reality and expectations.

 

[RCU005]

Games being digital, doesn't have anything to do with the console being the cloud.

The cloud is where I draw the line. Whenever gaming becomes the cloud, that's when gaming is over for me.

Digital games can become manageable once there are better laws and consumer practices. The cloud on the other hand, would always be a mess.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Have them sign your girlfriend's boobs at conventions.
Ah memories.

 

[Holammer]

I think Niikawa is suggesting Sony jump directly to the next step of the digital only future.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Weird take aside anyone tried this?

I love D3/D4/D5 but 6 and 7 kinda stink. I saw this on Steam the other day and had never even heard of it.

Looks very low budget to me. I'll stick with the SRPG formula for my Disgaea.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

"they may as well eliminate the hardware too. A television would be enough."

Sony:

 

[Humdinger]

That doesn't make any sense.

I understand that people have feelings about this, but that doesn't make a bit of sense.

 

[reinking]

Disgaea Creator Says PlayStation Should "Get Rid of the Hardware" If It Abandons Physical Games

I thought that was one of the dumbest takes I have read on the matter....

They really should just upgrade the PS6 for full blown Windows Full Screen and make an appstore.

...and then I read this one.


People have lost their minds over this topic and most completely ignore that this isn't just a Sony problem.

 

[NovaSe7en]

That doesn't make any sense.

I understand that people have feelings about this, but that doesn't make a bit of sense.

Throw the baby out with the bath water basically. If they cannot have game discs, they won't bother with the console at all. PS6 will do Xbox numbers in Japan if Sony doesn't reverse course. I'm sure they know this and don't give a shit.

 

[Three]

He's wrong. Fans can still bring in something to sign at conventions. It's just that instead of a boxed copy, it'll be a print out from their Gmail.....

I hope that's not your actual order number. Delete it if it is

 

[yogaflame]

Allot of third party developers especially in Japan hate the move of Sony to kill the disc because they do respect the community of gamers who prefer disc regardless if its just 10% or 20% of the market.

 

[Three]

You can just stream, dumbass, that's what he is talking about.

So become amazon Luna and Stadia. What a great idea!

 

[Tobimacoss]

They really should just upgrade the PS6 for full blown Windows Full Screen and make an appstore. It would suck less then doing another lock down console. They just really need to buy times to either forge relationships with 3rd party devs and use them to get back to releasing games people want or drop the dead end studios they have and buy new ones. People will age out or eventually get turned off by the constant price hikes.

Their future is gonna be about selling games to customers on the devices they own. Unless they wanna go the way of Blockbuster.

Exactly, Sony should've been working on their own PC store with piracy prevention measures, and expanding Cloud Gaming, expanding PSN presence everywhere. Growth markets are PC, Mobile, Cloud, not Consoles.

 

[Durin]

Still sounds like he's on the side of physical, but is extrapolating digitizing the game to you might as well just stream it.

I do think digital in an era where console hardware isn't that bespoke anymore, makes them more of an appliance to get access to the software storefront.

Don't want to give more power to corpos by losing control of my own local hardware though.

 

[PauloRoberto]

That's a typical overreaction that makes the argument weak... I absolutely despise sony's action here, but to tell that when Disgaea can be already easily bought in 100% digital only platforms sounds a little bit hypocrite

 

[Humdinger]

Throw the baby out with the bath water basically. If they cannot have game discs, they won't bother with the console at all. PS6 will do Xbox numbers in Japan if Sony doesn't reverse course. I'm sure they know this and don't give a shit.

Yeah, seems like an emotional reaction to me, cerebral cortex offline. It's like when I told my mother I wouldn't be able to make her birthday party, and she screamed, "WELL WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME THEN!!!"

Like, calm down, mom.

 

[CentralScrutinizer]

They won't do it.

No balls.

 

[NovaSe7en]

Yeah, seems like an emotional reaction to me, cerebral cortex offline. It's like when I told my mother I wouldn't be able to make her birthday party, and she screamed, "WELL WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME THEN!!!"

Like, calm down, mom.

It's emotionally charged for sure. Not really coming from a place of logic.

I do not think he actually advocates for cloud gaming.

 

[CentralScrutinizer]

Games being digital, doesn't have anything to do with the console being the cloud.

The cloud is where I draw the line. Whenever gaming becomes the cloud, that's when gaming is over for me.

Digital games can become manageable once there are better laws and consumer practices. The cloud on the other hand, would always be a mess.

Welp you probably have two generations left then it's all done for you.

 

[Tobimacoss]

Cloud Gaming is supplementary. It will eventually grow to be about 30-33% of overall gaming, others being PC and Consoles.

Currently xCloud is at least 10% of overall XBOX ecosystem hours. It's easily going to grow to 20-25%. MS would prefer something like 50 million on consoles, 30 million on PC, 20 million on Cloud, 20 million on Xbox mobile store.

 

[IntentionalPun]

I'd love to see Sony try to build up the infrastructure to convert the 120+ million MAU PlayStation gamers to cloud streaming, and the 10's of billions of dollars it would take to do so.

People keep saying the memory crisis has accelerated cloud gaming but I think it's probably the opposite.

And I still remain unconvinced it's guaranteed to be "our future."

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Ok, this is a dumb take if ever there was one.

Why would you need the console? A television is enough?

Yup... dumb take.

He must have never bought a PC game in his life.

Not only it's not dumb, but that's the endgame for Sony.

They are already selling that narrative with the high prices bullshit.

Many of the people who laugh it off in this thread will clap in their balconies when Sony announces it by 2035 or so.

 

[Fake]

Agree.

If you don't like making physical games why even making a physical console? Trying to sell this ideia of 'less plastic, better for the planet', but still make consoles.

Hypocrites.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Disgaea Creator Says PlayStation Should "Get Rid of the Hardware" If It Abandons Physical Games

People already fear gaming corporations with taking away physical, the outrage for abandoning hardware...

 

[calico]

"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."

This is exactly what they are intending to do eventually. It won't strictly be no hardware because you will need a controller and dongle or similar to plug into the screen, but they would prefer not to have to sell you a console at a loss.

Whether it will work out like they think is another matter.

 

[Deerock71]

If Sony are abolishing physical media then not much reason for a console if their new console is just the medium to access a digital storefront.

PS6 will be a shiny new Sony TV!

 

[Ebrietas]

This is becoming so irrational. He's literally just talking about the physical packaging, not the disc itself lol.

Games will still be sold at retail as a code in a box. The same exact box the discs come in today. So people can still buy that and get them autographed to put them on display or whatever this dude is talking about. I guess they can even get a blank blu ray disc and write "Disgaea" on it and put it in the box if they really want to.