- 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’
- He adds: “It is important to strengthen our digitalization” in the current market
Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony’s decision to end production of game discs in 2028, acknowledging the importance of physical media but that the move to digital is “crucial.”
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Utsumi explained that the digital market needs to be cultivated and that Sega believes in strengthening 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 gaming on PC is steadily increasing. Even in regions where consoles aren’t widely available, many people say, “I can play it on PC.”
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He added: “In order to develop this 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 discussed 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 this altogether, we are currently challenging ourselves to change so that we can think and act in parallel on the important aspects of digital media.”
Sony announced plans to retire the new physical discs earlier this month, explaining that the transition to all-digital games “will allow us to more closely align with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
PlayStation fans continue to oppose the move, but analysts believe the company won’t change its mind.
The $7.2 billion used video game market is also said to be in jeopardy following Sony’s move, with Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning Michael Pachter reporting that “physical game retailing is doomed to failure.”
Elsewhere, former Nippon CEO Ichi Software opposed the project, saying that while he understands it “from a purely business perspective”, Sony does not “understand the feelings of these fans”.
“If they’re going to go as far as eliminating the physical packages, they might as well eliminate the hardware,” he said. “A TV would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you’re going to get rid of physical games, you might as well go all the way.”
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