He adds that physical and special editions of games will likely still be released, so those who want something tangible will probably be able to buy them at retail — they'll just contain a PS Store code rather than a disc.
As far as Yoshida is concerned, however, the disc itself is fast becoming redundant in the digital age.
"Even with physical disc games, in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway. Anyone who chooses to purchase a physical version will still need to download new patches, DLC, or updates. So, not having a disc, I don't understand if it’s such a big issue."
It's a fair point, though not completely accurate. Many games you can buy on disc do not in fact require any updates, and will work as soon as you slot them into your console.
Obviously, that's not the case for every game; some do necessitate an online connection, while others are incomplete or perhaps even not on the disc at all, requiring a download to play.
The issue isn't straightforward, and Yoshida's thoughts don't account for everything; there's the small matter of digital games never truly belonging to you, for example.
Anyway, it's always interesting to hear his perspective as someone who's been in the business for such a long time.
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