Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi has said that the end of physical games risked part of our culture disappearing, in the wake of Sony’s controversial decision to kill PlayStation 5 discs.
Last month, Sony made headlines when it announced and end to new games shipping on disc from January 2028 onwards, triggering a huge backlash from many fans. Now, at the recent FF14 Fan Fest, Ashif’s Release Notes asked Hamaguchi for his personal thoughts on the matter.
“In terms of my thoughts on physical editions, as a gamer myself, I love them,” Hamaguchi replied, adding that, as a game creator, it made him happy when fans asked him to sign their physical copies.
“It would be a real shame for that culture to disappear,” Hamaguchi continued. “I think physical games will still be sold in some form in the future, for example as a download code in a box. Moreover, I want physical games to continue — both as a creator and a game fan.”
This isn’t the first time that Hamaguchi has addressed the end of physical games. At the same event, the director said he was pushing for a physical release for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, though admitted that the matter had not yet been decided.
The long-awaited final part of FF7’s remake trilogy, Revelation is currently slated for a spring 2027 release, when it will also launch across multiple platforms simultaneously. Asked again about a physical launch for the title, Hamaguchi reiterated that he would “like to have some kind of physical edition available,” though could not yet make any promises. “We are looking into what the best options are, but I hope we will be able to live up to your expectations,” he added.
“As it’s nearing completion, I can personally pick it up and say, ‘this feels good, this feels satisfying’,” Hamaguchi said of the game in general, “so I’m quite confident about it. Of course, the final judgement will be down to the players but I feel confident, I can see the end, and I can finally feel the pressure lifting.”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth started out as PlayStation exclusives before being released on other platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2. However, FF7 Revelation is due to ship on PC, PS5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S simultaneously — a first for the remake trilogy.
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“For me, it is quite meaningful to be able to bring it back to Nintendo platforms,” Hamaguchi said of Revelation’s multi-platform launch. A self-confessed FF6 fan, Hamaguchi recalled witnessing Final Fantasy’s move from Nintendo to PlayStation as a child, and remembers playing the original FF7 on PS1, when the series moved from SNES cartridges to the greater possibilities offered by Sony’s compact disc format.
Other Japanese game creators have also given their opinions on physical games and the all-digital future we seem to be heading towards. Disgaea creator and former Nippon Ichi Software CEO Sohei Niikawa addressed Sony’s decision directly, saying that although it made sense from a business perspective Sony “may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them.” Hideo Kojima said of Sony’s decision that “I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad.” Nier creator Yoko Taro also echoed these sentiments in an X post where he encouraged people to buy physical game releases while they still can.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
