The creator behind Disgaea has argued consoles are redundant without physical games, saying that a ‘television would be enough’.
Sony’s decision to stop producing physical PlayStation game discs has raised questions around the future of console gaming at large.
While the data suggests the vast majority of gamers are buying digital, there is a vocal contingent who have rallied behind online petitions in the hope that Sony will reverse the decision – while others claim they’re going to boycott the PlayStation 6 altogether.
A Sony U-turn seems unlikely, but Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa has explained why he believes physical games are important, to both fans and developers.
Speaking to Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026, Niikawa argued having a game as a physical object ‘can have a great deal of value’, because they can serve as a ‘memory or a keepsake’ which can be signed at conventions and displayed in the home.
‘From a purely business perspective, I can understand why the people at Sony would make that decision,’ Niikawa said. ‘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.
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‘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 goes one step further, believing that without physical games, consoles are effectively redundant.
‘If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too,’ he added. ‘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.’
It’s certainly a fair argument, especially when the prices of consoles are skyrocketing to a point where they’re unaffordable for many. Combined with the costly price of games, in a digital-only future where there is little competition between retailers, there’s seemingly little incentive to invest in a console over a PC.
The sole advantage consoles still have over PC is the guarantee top-end games will run without any hassle, but in the age of Minecraft and Roblox, it’s clear many young players don’t necessarily value graphical fidelity as a major selling point anymore.
Despite all this hubbub, the big question is whether this issue will impact sales of the PlayStation 6 in any meaningful way. Sony hasn’t announced a release date for the console, but based on the recent no-disc announcement, it’s expected in 2028.
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