Nier: Automata Director Yoko Taro Mourns Physical Media: 'Don't Assume It Will Always Be There'

Yoko Taro, the director behind Nier: Automata, has added his voice to the growing chorus of developers and industry veterans upset about Sony's decision to end physical disc production for PlayStation games starting in 2028. His comments came alongside a post on X where he shared that he picked up a physical copy of Hi-Fi Rush in response to the news.

Taro wrote that he received Hi-Fi Rush from what he called "our last hope, Super Deluxe-san," and used the moment to deliver a pointed message: "Don't assume your parents and physical media will always be there, so if you're interested, be sure to check it out." He also admitted he had predicted Sony would take a different path — raising prices on physical copies and turning them into premium collector's editions rather than eliminating them outright. "I thought that holding the reins on physical distribution itself is an advantage compared to Steam and the like, so even if digital downloads are pushed forward, a future like only high-priced limited editions being physical would come," he wrote. "Missed the mark, too bad." He's also not impressed by alternatives like Switch 2 game key cards, which he's commented on separately.

Taro is a veteran of the industry who was still making arcade games when Sony launched the original PlayStation. He went on to write and direct Drakengard on PS2 — a cult RPG that anyone with the original disc and hardware can still play today, decades later. That kind of long-term accessibility is exactly what's at stake with the shift away from physical media, and it's a point that's resonated across the industry. Hideo Kojima, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden, and over 10,000 commenters on the recent Wolverine trailer have all voiced similar frustrations since Sony's blog post broke the news roughly three weeks ago.

Sony has stayed silent since that original announcement, offering no explanation for why it won't simply manufacture an optical drive for next-gen hardware and let the physical market continue on the side. With 2028 still a few years out, there's technically time for the company to reverse course — but so far, there's no sign it's considering it.