Hideo Kojima Warned Us: Sony's 2028 Digital-Only PlayStation Future and the End of Game Ownership

The timing was pointed. Multiple outlets described it as Kojima "slyly taking aim" at Sony's decision .

He called it "a great risk." Speaking at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Rome on July 5, 2026, Kojima was asked directly about Sony's move. He expressed sadness and warned: "We will have nothing of our own, it's a great risk." He said placing full control of game access in the hands of platform holders is dangerous for creators and audiences alike . He also described the end of discs as just "step one" and said he finds cloud gaming even more frightening .

He is buying PS3 games to preserve them. Kojima told the festival he is "buying a lot of PlayStation 3 games so that they don't get lost," underscoring his personal commitment to preservation .

Broader Implications

Digital Ownership Erosion

• Consumers will no longer own a physical copy they can resell, lend, or play without server verification. Critics argue the model effectively shifts from owning a product to licensing access that can be revoked . Sony's terms of service already state that digital purchases grant only a "personal, non-transferable license" .
• The used game market will be effectively killed for new PlayStation titles .
• This follows a precedent: Sony deleted purchased PlayStation movies from user accounts just weeks before the disc announcement .

Streaming-Only and Platform Lock-In

• All future PlayStation games will require an online connection to download and authenticate, making access dependent on Sony's servers remaining online .
• Players become fully locked into Sony's ecosystem — if Sony's storefront goes down or a license agreement changes, purchased games could become inaccessible .
• The PS3 and PS Vita store closures (set for July 2027 in most regions) provide a real-world example of this risk .

Game Preservation Risks

• Physical discs have historically allowed preservation through resale, library lending, and archival. Without them, games could become unplayable if digital storefronts close or servers are decommissioned .
• Kojima's warning directly addressed this: access can be "suddenly cut off" due to corporate, political, or economic shifts, leaving no physical fallback .
• Organizations like the Video Game History Foundation have long warned that digital-only distribution creates a "black hole" for preservation, as DRM and server dependencies make future re-release or emulation far harder .

Potential Compromises

• Some reports suggest the PS6 may still offer a separate disc drive attachment (similar to the PS5 Slim), and third-party publishers could continue limited physical runs, but Sony's own first-party output will be entirely digital .
• Sony has described the move as "a natural direction" as digital game preference "significantly outpaces physical discs" .

The Bigger Picture

Kojima's 2021 warning was not just about games — it was about all digital media: movies, books, and music. He concluded that warning with: "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."

Sony's 2028 deadline is the first major console manufacturer move to an all-digital future. Whether other platforms follow, or whether consumer backlash forces a reversal, remains to be seen. But as Kojima made clear, the time to think about ownership is before it's gone.