Since 1st July, when Sony announced its intent to move away from the production and sale of physical media, we’ve seen plenty of backlash from both consumers and those working within the video game industry. There’s plenty of evidence of this, but the most vocal and visceral has come from comments on pretty much anything Sony has posted online in the days since the announcement.
The latest voice to throw their hat into the ring of dissent is Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa, who shared his thoughts on the situation during an interview with Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026. The storied developer understands there is a business case for the move away from physical media, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it.
“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,” he told the site.
“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.”
Strong words. I recommend heading over to Noisy Pixel to read the rest of the interview, as it offers more context and flavour to Niikawa’s views on the matter.
Sohei Niikawa was at Anime Expo 2026 promoting his latest game: Demons’ Night Fever. Niikawa is no longer working for Disgaea developer Nippon Ichi, and is making this game with a new studio, with publishing duties fulfilled by Arc System Works. Some things never change, though; the title is still a strategy RPG, features a lot of hellish imagery, and looks set to include damage numbers in the astronomical value range. It is scheduled for release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Back to Sony and physical games, however. At the time of writing, Sony has shown no desire to reverse its decision to stop producing and selling game discs, despite plenty of commentary about how it will affect consumer rights. Despite the unpopular decision, however, it seems even government superpowers like the European Union are unable to prevent the move. I assume there will be more dissent in the days, weeks, and years to come.
