You buy a game. Pop in the disc. It’s yours—you can sell it, lend it, keep it forever. That feeling is about to disappear. And Hideo Kojima—the man who gave us Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding—is terrified. He recently told the world that PlayStation killing discs makes him ‘frightened for the future of ownership.’ He’s not being nostalgic. He’s sounding the alarm.
Most coverage frames this as a sad lament from a legendary creator. But the real story is darker. Physical discs were the last barrier against a fully rentier economy in gaming—once they vanish, publishers can revoke, alter, or sunset any title at will. You aren’t buying a game anymore. You’re buying a permission slip that can be torn up the moment your credit card expires or the license server goes dark.
Think about it. You’ve probably noticed that ‘buying’ a digital game feels different. You can’t resell it. You can’t trade it. You can’t give it to a friend. And if the platform holder decides to delist it—poof—it’s gone from your library. We’ve all learned to accept this as ‘the way things are.’ But it’s not inevitable. It’s a choice. And that choice is being made by corporations, not creators.
Kojima’s unease isn’t about the disc itself. It’s about what the disc represents: control. When you hold a disc, you hold the game. No one can reach into your living room and take it back. No one can change the terms. No one can decide your copy is now ‘obsolete’ and push a kill switch. A disc is a fortress. Digital is a rented room where the landlord has a master key.
The industry will tell you digital is better for convenience. ‘No more swapping discs!’ ‘Instant downloads!’ ‘Always up to date!’ All true. But every convenience tax comes with a cost. The cost here is your agency. You trade permanence for speed. You trade ownership for access. And once the last disc disappears, there is no going back. The second-hand market dies. Game preservation becomes impossible. You won’t own anything—you’ll just be a perpetual renter in a walled garden.
I saw this firsthand at a GameStop closing sale. A man brought in a stack of PS4 discs—maybe twenty titles. He got $40. ‘I remember when I paid $60 each for these,’ he said with a shrug. ‘Now I can’t even sell them online because digital killed the resale market.’ That’s the future for every gamer. Except it’s worse: soon you won’t even have the disc to sell. You’ll have nothing but a digital license that expires whenever the publisher decides.
Don’t mistake this for Luddism. I love the convenience of digital. I have hundreds of games on Steam. But I also keep a shelf of physical copies for the games I truly care about. Why? Because I know those discs will work in twenty years. I’m not so confident about my Steam library. Valve could change its terms tomorrow. Sony could shut down the PS Store. Nintendo could sunset the eShop. They’ve done it before. They’ll do it again.
Kojima’s fear is rational. When every game becomes a service, every gamer becomes a tenant. The shift from ownership to licensing is already complete in music and movies. You don’t own your Spotify playlist or your Netflix queue—you’re just leasing access. Gaming is the last holdout where buying still meant owning. Once discs go, that holdout crumbles.
So what can you do? Vote with your wallet. Buy physical when you can. Support publishers that offer DRM-free digital copies. Demand the right to resell your digital games. And stop accepting the narrative that digital is ‘inevitable.’ It’s a business model, not physics. If enough people push back, the industry might reconsider. If not, prepare for a world where your game library is a temporary illusion.
Kojima is frightened. You should be too.
FAQ
Q: Isn't digital distribution actually better for the environment and convenience? Why is this a problem?
A: It is more convenient and reduces plastic waste. But the trade-off is a complete loss of ownership rights. You can't resell, trade, or even keep a game if the platform shuts down. Convenience shouldn't come at the cost of consumer rights—especially when the industry has no legal obligation to preserve your access.
Q: What's the practical implication for me as a gamer right now?
A: Start buying physical copies of games you truly care about, especially from publishers known for preserving access (like GOG for PC). Support legislation like the EU's 'right to repair' for digital goods. And before you spend $70 on a digital-only game, ask yourself: 'Would I pay this much for a rental that could vanish?'
Q: But isn't Kojima just being dramatic? Digital games work fine today.
A: They work fine until they don't. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have all delisted games and closed digital storefronts for older consoles. When that happens, your library is gone. Kojima's point is that the industry is moving to a model where you never truly own anything—and once discs disappear, there's no safety net. It's not drama; it's foresight.