The demise of physical media’s writing has been on the wall for nearly a decade. Digital only games has been the proverbial boggy man for that time. Some sites raising the alarm bells and many people dismissing it. Some even enjoying digital only games. However, like in everything, views seem to be changing but it won’t be enough. You can believe the notion that if you “start buying physical games, they will change their mind”. But as the man once said, “you wish in one hand and take a shit in the other see which one gets filled first.”
With Rockstar announcing that Grand Theft Auto VI would be a digital only release, that was a major indication of where the market was headed. Ultra HD Blu-ray, which are used in PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, hold up to 100 gigabytes of data. Current online speculation suggest GTA VI will run somewhere between 150GB to 250GB. Obviously, those are conservative estimates but it will be nowhere near the 650GB some rando on Reddit believes.
On Wednesday, Sony announced that they will no longer offer new titles physically starting in January 2028. I can imagine a large, last-ditch buying spreed during the holiday season of 2027. The following explosion of resellers selling overpriced copies of physical game that following January.
Sony’s Digital Only Games Becomes the New Microsoft from 2013
Sony’s clapback at Microsoft from 2013 has appeared on social media feeds. Randos on the internet trying to push “buy physical media again”. Hoping that this will prompt Rockstar, Microsoft, and Sony to make physical copies again. That is a pipe dream. I mean, I agree that purchasing physical media is solid strategy. However, there is too much cost to make physical discs. However, not purchasing GTA VI or dropping those big number would be enough of a signal.
That is the missing element. The misconception about these strategies. People will still purchase digital versions of these games. When they have a Black Friday sale and you can get insane deals. What is the lesson learned? It is the same as people that get angry their favorite show on a streaming service is canceled when they download torrents. The company doesn’t rethink their strategy. They cancel the show.
We need to remember that social media is a small group of people. Naturally, more gamers are tuned into social media but they seldom follow the crowd. I think even a bigger portion just read it, laugh, and go back to their game.
However, a more serious question needs to be asked, how many digital copies of games do you currently own? While I like physical copies of games, I own a lot of digital copies of older games (and some newer). Much of it was because of backwards compatibility and some ridiculous online deals. Honestly, I don’t even own a PlayStation 5, but I plan to get one. However, I’ve been thinking for a while that may the last console I purchase. Especially if the PS6 is going to be super expensive.
The New Xbox is Reportedly Doing the Same Thing
With Sony announcing that they are cutting off the PlayStation 3 and Vita stores, many are wondering about their old content. The problem with the clickbait online media is that nothing changes for you. If you have purchased games, you will have access to them. What the closure signifies is that you will not be able to purchase any new games.
Windows Central is reporting that Microsoft is, also, looking into a discless console. What the report states is something Sony has not: what about already purchased physical disc games?
“Simply installing an Xbox game from the disc will attach it to your account and give you the full digital entitlements on your Microsoft Account,” the source says. “You’ll be able to access it via Xbox Cloud Gaming, Play Anywhere on the Xbox Ally X, as if you fully owned the digital version of the game. You will reportedly only lose your digital entitlement on that game if you sell the disc or give it away to another Microsoft Account holder.”
To be fair, Microsoft has always been more concerned with backwards compatibility than Sony has been. However, anything Microsoft offers won’t be guaranteed that it will work as advertised. Ask anyone with a Windows 11 computer.
The companies can be held to blame, but they totally shouldn’t. Physical media has been dying out for streaming or digital downloads. You know who does that? Gamers. We shouldn’t be surprised by this action, but you can be disappointed. People in society refuse to acknowledge the part they play in “consumer preferences”. We preferred convenience over going out and getting it. Convenience is the true reason. For many games, it wasn’t any cheaper.