Japanese video game designer and writer Hideo Kojima has warned about the digital future, where you lose a copy of physical media and have data “you don’t actually possess”.
Renowned creator of video games Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid Hideo Kojima expressed his concern on transitions to all-digital media, following Sony’s announcement.
Sony on July 1 announced that starting January 2028, it will transition to all-digital media in PlayStation and cease the production of physical game discs for new releases.
Kojima’s ‘I told you so’
In a conversation at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Rome, Kojima opened up how the recent news about PlayStation made him sad.
“Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad,” said Kojima, as quoted by IGN Southeast Asia.
“Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too.”
The game creator has always been open about the dangers of the looming all-digital media.
In 2021, Kojima took to X, formerly Twitter, to share his thoughts: “Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off.”
He noted during that time that in such a digital era, we will not be able to freely access our beloved movies, books and music.
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The uncertainties of ‘owning’ digital copies
At the film festival, the game creator highlighted the dangers of having to rely on full digital and subscription-based media.
“That’s how movies work on these platforms, right? You don’t download the data, you access it directly through a subscription. And the consequence of that is that you don’t actually possess the data yourself,” warned Kojima.
He noted that while some companies allow you to easily access a wide-range of catalogue through monthly fees, he gave light to the uncertainties attached to it: “However, with nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed. And if that happens you won’t be able to watch or play the movies and games you like.”
He reminded everyone of the “frightening” possibility, telling people to “keep in mind” of that.
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