Hideo Kojima Calls Sony’s Move to Stop PS Discs a “Frightening” Digital Future

Hideo Kojima has sounded the alarm about what he sees as a “frightening” all-digital future, coming just days after Sony signaled it will stop producing physical PlayStation discs.

Kojima reacts as PlayStation disc production winds down

Kojima shared his thoughts during remarks at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Rome, where a translation circulated via Genki. The comments arrive after Sony revealed that manufacturing new PlayStation discs will end in January 2028. Kojima didn’t name Sony directly, but the context made his target feel unmistakable.

“Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad,” Kojima said. “Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too.”

For longtime fans of Kojima’s interest in games, film, and music, this stance won’t be surprising. Shortly after Sony’s latest move hit the internet, a message Kojima posted back in 2021 resurfaced—one warning that people may lose access to media they’ve been able to keep for themselves. In that earlier statement, he said, “We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved.”

At the film festival, Kojima expanded on what he believes changes when content shifts from physical copies to streaming-style access. He also addressed how that shift could ripple across more than just games.

“The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware,” he continued. “However, if things shift to streaming in the future, that won’t be the case anymore. With streaming subscription services, like Netflix or Amazon, there is a server somewhere, and you essentially just have the right to turn the tap, and when you do, the data flows out.

“That’s how movies work on these platforms, right? You don’t download the data, you access it directly through a subscription. And the consequence of that is that you don’t actually possess the data yourself.”

Player backlash grows as ownership fears spread

Supporters of physical media ownership have had plenty to complain about lately. In late June, Rockstar Games said the physical release of GTA 6 would arrive in a box without a disc, with the actual game provided only through a download code.

The reaction to Sony’s disc-production decision has been especially intense. Even with criticism coming from major companies, celebrities, and everyday players alike, it still seems unlikely Sony will reverse course. The timing is also awkward for digital-first customers: Sony has also told movie viewers that they’ll soon lose access to a catalog of more than 550 films, even if they already bought those titles.

With the PS6 and Project Helix consoles on the horizon, many signs suggest a stronger push toward digital delivery—and players don’t seem eager for what comes next. Kojima certainly isn’t.

“There are companies that own these servers and let you ‘turn the tap’ for a monthly fee,” he continued. “However, with nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed. And if that happens you won’t be able to watch or play the movies and games you like.

“That is what is frightening. So, what is happening to video games in 2028, might also happen to movies. I’d like everyone to keep that in mind.”

What Kojima is working on next, and what to watch

Kojima Productions has already wrapped work on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Next up is OD, a horror project that recent reporting says is safe at Xbox after concerns about studio closures and cancellations.

For now, the immediate question for players is how far publishers and platform holders will go toward subscription access, and what that could mean for long-term access to games and other entertainment—especially as Sony’s disc timeline moves closer.