Disgaea creator: kill the console if you kill the discs
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- Sony announced on 1st July its intent to stop producing and selling physical game discs, prompting backlash from consumers and industry figures
- Sohei Niikawa, creator of the Disgaea RPG series, told Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026 that if Sony eliminates physical packages, "they may as well eliminate the hardware, too" — adding "a television would be enough"
- Niikawa acknowledged the business rationale but said executives behind the decision "have probably never experienced" fans bringing physical games to events for autographs
- Sony has shown no desire to reverse the decision, and even the European Union cannot block the move, per Eurogamer
- Demons' Night Fever, Niikawa's strategy RPG developed with a new studio and published by Arc System Works, is scheduled for 2026 release on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam
Why it matters: A veteran developer is publicly arguing that killing physical media also removes the core reason consumers own a console in the first place. With the EU unable to block Sony and no reversal announced, the fight over PlayStation discs now rests entirely on industry voices like Niikawa and sustained consumer pressure.
