- Sega president Shuji Utsumi addressed Sony’s decision to end production of game discs.
- Utsumi says: “We still value physical media culture,” but “a digital shift is crucial”
- And he adds: “It is important to reinforce our digitalization” in the current market.
Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony’s decision to end game disc production in 2028, acknowledging the importance of physical media but that the digital shift is “crucial.”
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Utsumi explained that the digital market needs to be cultivated and Sega believes in reinforcing digitalization.
“When it comes to titles we call ‘full games’ for consoles and PC, we believe a digital shift is crucial,” Utsumi said. “Of course, consoles are important, but the proportion of people who play on PC is constantly increasing. Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, ‘I can play on PC.'”
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He added: “To cultivate that market, we believe it is important to strengthen our digitalization. We tend to think from a physical perspective, so I think we need to be more digitally aware and become more global.”
Utsumi then touched on Sega’s hardware history, saying that while it is no longer in the console market and now primarily publishes games, the company has not forgotten its roots and the importance of physical media.
“We were originally a platform provider and of course we still value the culture of physical media,” the president said. “Rather than abandoning it completely, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think and act on the important aspects of digital media in parallel.”
Sony announced its plan to retire new physical discs earlier this month, explaining that the transition to all-digital games “will allow us to more closely align with how the majority of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
PlayStation fans continue to reject the decision, but analysts believe the company will not change its mind.
The $7.2 billion secondhand video game market is also said to be in jeopardy as a result of Sony’s decision, with Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning Michael Pachter reporting that “traditional game retailing is doomed.”
Separately, the former CEO of Nippon Ichi Software opposed the plan, saying that while he understands it “from a purely business perspective,” Sony doesn’t “understand the feelings of those fans.”
“If they’re going to go as far as removing the physical packages, they might as well remove the hardware,” he said. “A TV would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you’re going to ditch physical games, you might as well go all the way.”
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