Ken Kutaragi, the former Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman who led the creation of PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, says Sony’s move away from game discs has created friction with dedicated fans. He understands why players associate a disc with ownership, but says maintaining disc infrastructure is no longer economically reasonable for a networked platform.
Kutaragi made the comments in an interview with VGC’s Andy Robinson at the Game Republic New Horizons event on 16 October 2026. His remarks are his personal assessment, not a new Sony policy announcement, but they put the consumer dispute around PlayStation’s planned disc reduction in unusually direct terms.
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What Ken Kutaragi said about the fan backlash
“I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for ‘owning’ games. I really understand that mentality…” Kutaragi said. He added: “I really understand [why some people are upset], but I don’t think it’s economically reasonable. Maybe it’s a mentality issue.”
He then acknowledged the consequence for Sony: “But this has caused some friction with game enthusiasts.”
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Kutaragi also suggested that Sony may increasingly view PlayStation not as a traditional standalone console, but as a network-connected content terminal. He linked that outlook partly to people from Gaikai and other streaming businesses joining the organisation.
When Sony plans to stop manufacturing new game discs
Sony executives have said manufacturing of new PlayStation game discs is planned to end from January 2028. That is a manufacturing target, not a statement that every physical game will vanish overnight. Existing discs can continue to circulate, and retailers may still sell remaining inventory or releases produced before the change.
CFO Lin Tao said digitalization is the main reason for the plan and that Sony intends to move cautiously after considering strong community opinions. Sony’s stated position is that discs are no longer a major platform differentiator; it instead emphasizes curated content, a stable game environment and affordability compared with a high-end gaming PC.
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Sony’s own reported sales mix shows why management views the transition as difficult to reverse. For the fiscal year ending 31 March 2026, digital downloads represented 78% of full-game unit purchases, according to figures reported by Ars Technica. That percentage applies to Sony’s reported fiscal-year purchase mix, not to every game, country or player.
Company figures reported for the April–June 2026 quarter showed $1.2 billion in digital game revenue versus $128 million in physical game revenue. Those are Sony financial-results figures reported by Tom’s Hardware, not an independently audited market estimate.
The broader US market has also shifted. Circana figures cited for the period June 2008–June 2009 recorded 297 million physical game units, compared with 37 million units in Circana’s latest reported year. The periods and measurement scope differ from Sony’s figures, so they should not be treated as a universal worldwide sales series.
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What players lose when a game is disc-free
Fans are not objecting only to packaging. A disc gives a buyer several forms of control that a digital license generally does not provide in the same way.
| Concern | Physical disc | Digital purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Resale | Can usually be sold to another person, subject to retailer and regional practices. | Normally cannot be resold as an equivalent second-hand copy. |
| Lending and sharing | A person can lend the disc while retaining the case and object. | Access is generally tied to the purchasing account and platform rules. |
| Used-game pricing | Second-hand copies can provide a cheaper route to play. | Prices and discounts are controlled by the digital storefront; there is no ordinary resale market. |
| Collecting | Provides a tangible object, packaging and a visible library. | Library exists primarily as an account record and downloaded data. |
| Offline and long-term access | The disc can preserve a playable copy, although updates, installation requirements and online services may still matter. | Depends on account access, downloads, storage and the continued operation of relevant platform services. |
Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden summarized the ownership concern this way: “If you can’t sell a thing, that means you don’t own a thing. And if you don’t own it, then what are you buying?” He described the possible effect on the PlayStation brand as significant.
Do digital PlayStation games count as ownership?
Digital buying gives a user permission to access software under the storefront’s account and service terms. It provides convenience and often immediate delivery, but it does not reproduce every practical right associated with a physical object: resale, lending a single copy, or retaining an independently transferable item.
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That difference explains why “ownership” is the central word in the dispute. Kutaragi’s point is not that the concern is imaginary; he explicitly recognizes the disc as a symbol of ownership. His argument is that the economic case for continuing the underlying manufacturing and distribution system has weakened.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Will PS5 games still be available physically?
Based on Sony’s announced plan, physical production is expected to continue before January 2028. The announcement does not establish that every PS5 title will receive a disc release until that date, nor does it say that all discs disappear on the first day of 2028. Availability will depend on the publisher, region, retailer stock and the timing of each release.
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Players who prefer discs should therefore treat January 2028 as a planning deadline for new manufacturing, not as a guaranteed clearance date or a promise that every existing release will remain easy to find.
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What the change means for resale and preservation
Used-game resale
Fewer newly manufactured discs would eventually reduce the supply of new physical copies and could make the used market more important for some games. It could also make popular or limited releases harder to obtain, while digital discounts remain the main alternative for players who do not need a collectible copy.
Preservation
Physical media can help keep a game in circulation outside a storefront account, but a disc is not a complete preservation guarantee. Modern games may require patches, installations, servers or account authentication. Digital distribution removes the transferable object altogether, increasing the importance of platform policies, archival efforts and continued download access.
Why this is a trust problem for PlayStation
Sony’s transition balances two different promises. Digital delivery offers instant access, lower manufacturing and logistics demands, and a business model that matches how most reported purchases already occur. Physical media offers visible control, resale value and a reassuring sense that a purchase is something the buyer possesses rather than merely accesses.
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Kutaragi’s comments identify the unresolved issue: Sony may consider discs economically inefficient while many fans judge the change by consumer control and long-term trust. Whether PlayStation can make a largely digital future feel fair will depend on how clearly it communicates access rights, supports existing purchases and responds to the ownership expectations that discs came to represent.
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