If PlayStation kills physical media, it should "get rid of the hardware" too, says the creator of popular RPG series Disgaea - Eurogamer.net

What the report says

Eurogamer reports that Sohei Niikawa, best known as the creator of the strategy RPG series Disgaea, has criticised Sony’s stated plan to move away from making and selling physical game media. The outlet says Sony announced the shift on 1 July, prompting objections from players and some people in the games industry, particularly on social media responses to Sony’s posts.

Niikawa made the comments in an interview with Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026, where he was promoting his new game, Demons’ Night Fever. According to Eurogamer’s account of the interview, Niikawa said he could understand the commercial reasoning behind ending physical releases, but argued that company leaders may not appreciate the value fans place on boxed games, including bringing them to events for autographs. He went further by suggesting that if Sony removes physical games, it might as well question the need for dedicated console hardware too.

Eurogamer adds that Niikawa is no longer with Disgaea developer Nippon Ichi Software and is now working through a new studio, with Arc System Works handling publishing for Demons’ Night Fever. The game is described as a strategy RPG with dark fantasy imagery and is planned for release in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

The dispute matters because physical media remains tied to game ownership, resale, preservation, collecting and access for players with limited internet reliability. Eurogamer says Sony had shown no sign, at the time of publication, that it would reverse its decision despite continuing criticism.