Sega president says 'we still value the culture of physical media' but 'believe that a digital shift is crucial'

Date:
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:56:32 +0000

Description:
Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony's decision to end the production of game discs in 2028.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed Sony's decision to end the production of game discs Utsumi says,
"We still value the culture of physical media," but "a digital shift is crucial" He adds, "It is important to strengthen our digitalisation" in the current market Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony's decision to end the production of game discs 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 bolstering digitalisation. "When it comes to titles we call 'full games' for consoles and PCs, we believe that a digital shift is crucial," Utsumi said. "Of course, consoles are important, but the proportion of people who play on PCs is steadily increasing. Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, 'I can play it on PC.'" Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

He added, "In order to cultivate that market, we believe it is important to strengthen our digitalisation. We tend to think from a physical perspective, so I think we need to be more digitally conscious and become more global."

Utsumi then touched on Sega's hardware history, saying that while it isn't in the console market anymore and now primarily publishes games, the company hasn't forgotten its roots and the importance of physical media. You may like 'They may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them' Disgaea creator disagrees with Sony's decision to end the production of game discs GameStop CEO puts dent in physical game preservation push Ex-PlayStation boss calls Sony's plan to kill physical disc production 'fairly dramatic' and remembers a time when 'digital sales were zero percent because we didn't have a digital market'

"We were originally a platform provider, and of course, we still value the culture of physical media," the president said. "Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think about 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 enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

PlayStation fans continue to push back against the decision , but analysts believe the company won't change its mind .

It's also said that the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market could be
in danger as a result of Sony's decision , with Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning, Michael Pachter, reporting that "Brick and mortar game retail is doomed."

Elsewhere, Former Nippon Ichi Software CEO has objected to the plan , saying that while he understands it "From a purely business perspective," Sony doesn't "understand the feelings of those fans."

"If theyre going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too," he said. "A television would be enough. Why would you need the console? If youre going to get rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way." Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles 1. Best overall: PlayStation 5 Slim 2. Best budget: Xbox Series S 3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2 4. Most powerful: PlayStation 5 Pro



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/sega-president-says-we-still-value-the-cultur e-of-physical-media-but-believe-that-a-digital-shift-is-crucial


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