PlayStation Founder Gets Why Gamers Want Physical Media to Survive

Ken Kutaragi, the founder of PlayStation and a former Sony chairman, has weighed in on one of the most debated subjects among gamers today: the decline of physical media. Speaking as a businessman, Kutaragi sees no justification for continuing to manufacture discs, yet he fully understands why players are frustrated by the idea.

Technology is evolving at a remarkable pace, steering the gaming industry toward an entirely digital future and potentially spelling the end of physical releases. Of the three major console makers, Sony was the first to signal that discs will eventually be abandoned. Microsoft has yet to confirm whether its next Xbox will ship with a disc drive, while Nintendo has assured fans that it has no plans to drop physical support.

PlayStation’s founder: “Physical discs have become a metaphor for owning games”

Image: Sony

Over the past several months, Sony has faced considerable criticism over its contentious position on physical games. Ken Kutaragi, the architect of PlayStation, departed the company in 2007. Almost twenty years on, he still agrees with parts of Sony’s outlook, though he can also sympathize with players. In a conversation with VGC, Kutaragi stressed that he had insisted on a network-connected console from the very beginning, viewing connectivity as the future of PlayStation as a platform.

As online-enabled consoles become the norm, digital content grows more accessible and the need for discs shrinks. The catch, as Sony itself has acknowledged, is that players don’t truly own the games in their digital libraries. A digital purchase only grants a license that can be withdrawn at any moment, whereas a physical copy is far harder to take away. This is precisely why, in Kutaragi’s words, “physical discs have become a metaphor for owning games.”

Kutaragi explains that physical media makes “people feel like they will keep their content,” which is why he “really understands” the strength of gamers’ feelings on the subject. Even so, from a business perspective, he considers preserving physical media not “economically reasonable.” Ending disc production lets companies such as Sony trim expenses and boost profits. Although Kutaragi is sympathetic toward physical media, he echoes the sentiment of Sony’s CFO: most sales are already digital, and despite the backlash from fans, an all-digital approach “won’t affect PlayStation as a business.”