"The consequence of that is that you don't actually possess the data yourself. There are companies that own these servers and let you 'turn the tap' for a monthly fee." Hideo Kojima speaks on the death of physical media

Sony's announcement that it will cease physical disc production by January 2028 has had a seismic impact on the gaming industry,. As players look forward to a disc-less future with the arrival of the PlayStation 6 (and the likelihood that Xbox Helix will follow suit), everyone has been weighing in on the debate at a volume I've not seen before.

Celebrities like comedian Trevor Noah have weighed in, and even fast food outlets like KFC and Dominos have jumped on the bandwagon, but now one of the industries most legendary creator, Hideo Kojima has weighed in.

Speaking at the Il Cinema in Piazza Film Festival in Italy, Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Kojima expressed deep anxiety over the erasure of physical media. His translated remarks have been widely ciculated by Genki_JPN on X and we can be pretty certain the translation is correct given it's been reposted by Kojima himself.

"You don't actually possess the data"

Kojima, a notoriously devout cinephile and physical media collector, didn't hold back when asked his thoughts on the industry-wide push toward digital distribution.

"Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad.

Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too. The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware.

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. There are companies that own these servers and let you 'turn the tap' for a monthly fee. 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."

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"We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved."

This isn't the first time Kojima has spoken out about the move to online-only access for entertainment. His posts from 2001 have been circulating again, when he had a very similar warning to us all:

"Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off.

We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That's what I'm afraid of. This is not greed."

Kojima's words directly mirror the concerns of today's gamers. When Sony first revealed the timeline within which it plans to kill off physical game discs, the immediate outcry centered around consumer choice and market control. Without a secondhand disc market, publishers gain total authority over pricing, forcing players to rely entirely on the PlayStation storefront sales. Whether you have already made the move to digital or not, this will impact the price of games for everyone.

We have already seen the consequences of the "turned off tap" that Kojima warns us of. Sony recently sparked fury by revoking consumer access to over 500 paid digital movies, proving that digital ownership is merely a temporary license.

While the PC ecosystem has safely transitioned to digital due to its open nature, community modding, and DRM-free options like GOG, consoles remain strictly gated communities.

How long will corporations acquiesce to gamers' wants and needs?

Microsoft's upcoming next-gen "roject Helix console is also highly likely to drop the disc drive, but they are building a bridge. New details regarding Xbox's "Positron" disc-to-digital program suggest a seamless system where physical discs can be permanently converted into digital licenses tied to your Microsoft Account.

Amidst all the corporate doom and gloom, there are still minor victories for collectors. Halo Studios recently confirmed that the highly anticipated Halo: Campaign Evolved remake will actually ship on an actual physical disc for both Xbox and PlayStation boxes.

But as Kojima heavily implies, these anomalies will soon become a relic of the past. When the servers go dark, and the corporate giants decide to twist the valve shut, players will finally realize the true cost of convenience.

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