Ex-PlayStation boss is all-digital these days

• by Stephen Tailby
• Yesterday, 1pm

In case you've somehow missed the news, Sony announced its intention to cease producing game discs for PlayStation consoles starting in 2028, meaning the platform will be digital-only going forward.

It's a decision that has caused a lot of upset and raised many questions among consumers, and of course, everyone has their own view on whether it's ultimately a good or bad move for PlayStation and the industry as a whole.

For Shuhei Yoshida — indie game ambassador and former president of PS Studios — it doesn't appear to be much of a problem at all.

In an interview with GamerBraves, he's asked about his thoughts on the matter, and while he understands some of the concerns, he thinks it's ultimately not a big deal for most.

Saying he wasn't aware of PlayStation's plans to end disc production, Yoshida explains his personal gaming habits. "I'm a totally digital consumer," he says. I don't want to manage discs or swap discs. I want all my games on my dashboard, and I just select a game and play it. So, I'm completely digital."

He points out the market's shift towards digital and away from physical purchases over the years, but does also understand that there are a minority that still very much want to buy and collect physical games.

"I know there are collectors of physical games," Yoshida says. "They have walls full of physical packages, and for them, it would be a shame if physical games were no longer available to collect."

He adds that physical and special editions of games will likely still be released, so those who want something tangible will probably be able to buy them at retail — they'll just contain a PS Store code rather than a disc.

As far as Yoshida is concerned, however, the disc itself is fast becoming redundant in the digital age.

"Even with physical disc games, in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway. Anyone who chooses to purchase a physical version will still need to download new patches, DLC, or updates. So, not having a disc, I don't understand if it’s such a big issue."

It's a fair point, though not completely accurate. Many games you can buy on disc do not in fact require any updates, and will work as soon as you slot them into your console.

Obviously, that's not the case for every game; some do necessitate an online connection, while others are incomplete or perhaps even not on the disc at all, requiring a download to play.

The issue isn't straightforward, and Yoshida's thoughts don't account for everything; there's the small matter of digital games never truly belonging to you, for example.

Anyway, it's always interesting to hear his perspective as someone who's been in the business for such a long time.

[source gamerbraves.com, via gamesradar.com]