Kutaragi says he understands disc anger but backs Sony's digital shift
The PlayStation creator told a Middlesbrough conference that keeping discs is not economically reasonable, though he understands players' frustration.
Ken Kutaragi, the engineer who led development of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, said on October 15 that he understands players' anger over Sony ending disc production, but does not consider keeping discs economically reasonable. He spoke at the Game Republic New Horizons conference in Middlesbrough, England, according to Engadget.
Kutaragi said physical discs have come to symbolize ownership of a game, and that resistance to a disc-free PlayStation might be a mentality issue. He compared consoles to smartphones, saying most people are now online and trust that their content will stay with them.
He also suggested that current PlayStation leadership may see the console as a content terminal rather than just a game machine, pointing to hires from Gaikai and other streaming businesses.
Long-standing position
Kutaragi told GameSpot in 2006 that digital distribution of games would eventually render discs unnecessary. He left Sony in 2007 and now runs his own companies.
In July 2026, Sony announced it would stop making disc-based PlayStation games starting in January 2028, citing players' growing preference for digital. During Sony's July 31 earnings call, CFO Lin Tao said the company would move forward cautiously despite strong opinions from players. By then, an online petition asking Sony to keep physical games had passed 352,000 signatures.
Other former Sony executives have weighed in. In August, former Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said he is a fully digital player and does not see why losing discs is a big problem, while former Sony Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden told Brian Crecente's Game newsletter that a disc-free PlayStation would be depressing but solvable if Sony licensed its disc-pressing process to outside manufacturers, as Microsoft does for Xbox. Also on October 15, US Representative Ritchie Torres announced the Power to the Players Act, which would direct the FTC to write rules treating purchased games as owned rather than licensed; the bill has not been formally introduced.
Quick answers
What did Ken Kutaragi say about PlayStation discs?
He said he understands players' anger over Sony ending disc production but does not consider keeping discs economically reasonable, and that resistance to a disc-free PlayStation might be a mentality issue.
When will Sony stop making disc-based PlayStation games?
Sony announced in July 2026 that it would stop making disc-based PlayStation games starting in January 2028, citing players' growing preference for digital.
Where did Kutaragi make the comments?
At the Game Republic New Horizons conference in Middlesbrough, England, on October 15.