Sonyannounced that he would Stop physical disc production by January 2028 has had a seismic impact on the gaming industry. As gamers look forward to a disc-less future with the arrival of the PlayStation 6 (and likely Xbox Helix will follow suit), everyone weighs in on the debate in a volume I haven’t seen before.
Celebrities love comedy Trevor Noah There are heavy and even fast food outlets KFC and Dominos unfortunately, Hideo Kojima, now one of the industry’s most legendary creators, has pulled his weight.
Speaking at the Il Cinema in Piazza Film Festival in Italy, Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear and Death Stranding, expressed his deep concern about the erasure of physical media. His translation has been widely praised by commentators Genki_JPN is X and given that it was re-released by Kojima himself, we can be pretty sure that the translation is correct.
“You don’t really have the information”
Kojima, a noted film and physical media collector, didn’t hold back when asked about his thoughts on the industry’s push toward digital streaming.
“Since production ends in 2028, it’s about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it very sad.
Currently, I buy a lot of Blu-rays, as well as various movies and CDs. The situation is different for games, because they are downloaded to the hard drive, which means that the game data remains on your own hardware.
However, if things move to streaming in the future, this will no longer be the case. With streaming subscription services like Netflix or Amazon, there’s a server somewhere, and you just have the right to turn a faucet, and when you do, the data streams. That’s how movies work on these platforms, right? You don’t download the data, you access it directly through the subscription.
And the result is that you don’t actually own the data. There are companies that own these servers and allow you to “turn on the faucet” for a monthly fee. However, with nations, politics, and different mindsets, naturally, if there is a change, one must consider the possibility of insider information being discontinued.
And if this happens, you won’t be able to watch or play your favorite movies and games. That’s what’s scary. So, in 2028, what happens in video games can also happen in movies. I would like everyone to take this into account.”
Hideo Kojima on the end of physical disc production for video games: “It’s about video games as production ends in 2028, but I grew up with physical media so I find it very sad. I currently buy a lot of Blu-rays, as well as various movies and CDs.… pic.twitter.com/OFL98July 5, 2026
“We won’t be able to freely access the movies, books and music we love.”
This isn’t the first time Kojima has talked about switching to online-only access for entertainment. His Posts from 2001 It was recirculated when we all had a very similar warning:
“Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it can suddenly be cut off.
We won’t be able to freely access our favorite movies, books, and music. I’d be someone I’m not. I am afraid of it. This is not greed.”
Kojima’s words directly reflect the concerns of today’s gamers. When Sony first announced its timetable for killing off physical game discs, immediate protests centered around consumer choice and market control. Without a second-hand disc market, publishers have complete power over pricing, forcing gamers to rely entirely on PlayStation storefront sales. Whether you’ve gone digital or not, that’s it will be affects the price of games for everyone.
We have already seen the results of the “turning off faucet” that Kojima warned us about. Sony recently caused outrage by removing consumer access to more than 500 paid digital movies, proving that digital ownership is just a temporary license.
While the PC ecosystem has safely transitioned to digital due to its open nature, community modding, and DRM-free options like GOG, consoles remain strictly closed communities.
How long will corporations accept the wants and needs of players?
Microsoft’s upcoming next-generation Helix console is also likely to release a disc drive, but they’re building a bridge. Xbox’s “Positron” digital software from disc offer a seamless system where physical discs can be converted into digital licenses permanently linked to your Microsoft Account.
Amid all the corporate doom and gloom, there are still small victories for collectors. Halo Studios recently confirmed the long-awaited Halo: Campaign Evolved remake will actually ship on physical disc for both Xbox and PlayStation boxes.
But as Kojima pointedly states, these anomalies will soon be a thing of the past. When servers go dark and corporate giants decide to close the valve, gamers will finally understand the true value of convenience.
Join us Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your thoughts and discuss our latest news, reviews and more.
