The creator of the original PlayStation has officially weighed in on the disc debate. Over the summer, Sony announced a discless future for the PlayStation console line: disc production will end in 2028, with games exclusively available as digital downloads purchased via online storefronts.
This decision proved immediately unpopular, and has been widely derided in the months since. Part of the issue, it seems, is Sony's failure to explain what its digital-only future will look like. Can players still share or sell used copies? Will licenses be revoked? What's going to happen to all the discs we've already paid for?
Now, Ken Kutaragi — often called "the father of PlayStation" — speaking with VGC, has offered a vision for the brand's future. Kutaragi oversaw the development of the first three generations of PlayStation before leaving the company in 2007, but had begun predicting the digital takeover as far back as 2006.
According to VGC, when asked for his thoughts on PlayStation's move away from physical games, Kutaragi acknowledged that disc production was likely no longer financially viable for Sony. However, he also noted that the decision had upset fans.
"I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for 'owning' games,"...
