Will it soon be impossible to buy boxed Xbox games in stores and online? It looks complicated, but the head of Microsoft’s gaming industry offers the beginning of an answer.
For several years now, digital has been trying to replace the physical format in video games. Also elsewhere. And despite unparalleled advances in the PS3 and 360 generations, for example, hard drives have not yet had their last word. However, one manufacturer seems more inclined to initiate a significant change at this level, and that is Xbox. The brand is already betting big on its Xbox Game Pass to outperform PlayStation and Nintendo in this space, and this may just be the beginning.
The end of physical games on Xbox?
Microsoft’s desire to push its Xbox Game Pass more than ever is moving in the direction of giving up on physical advancement, but we’re not there yet. While the service has grown its subscriber base, it’s finding it difficult to completely explode. Growth to a profitability model that can potentially eliminate the “old world” and boxes in the short or medium term is not enough. But if this topic comes up again, and specifically at Microsoft, it will be because of the mass layoffs at Xbox and Activision Blizzard.
Of the 1,900 jobs lost, the team responsible for physical spending was particularly affected. A worrying sign. Then in September 2023 there was this leak of the Xbox Series X Brooklin, a version without an optical drive like the PS5 Digital Editions. Goodbye physical games for the Redmond company? “We support the physical format, but we don’t need to expand it beyond customer demand. Disproportionate » said Xbox boss Phil Spencer (via Game File). Calming? The rest of the statements still sow doubt and we still see a big opening.
Our job at Xbox is to deliver the things the majority of customers want. And currently that majority buys games digitally. Game consoles are, so to speak, the last consumer devices with a disc drive. This is a real problem just in terms of the number of manufacturers building the drives and the associated costs. And since there are fewer suppliers and fewer customers, the cost of the reader also has an impact. But I would say that our strategy is not based on the transition to the dematerialization of everything. Foregoing physical support is not strategic for us.
Over Game file.
Hi-Fi Rush in the box version for PS5 and Series X|S
Phil Spencer therefore delivered a kind of Norman response to the end of the physical games. But on the one hand, it’s hard to imagine the company blatantly announcing a full shift to digital. Hellblade 2, one of the most anticipated Xbox Series X|S exclusives, will not be released physically. However, all may not be lost and the situation could be improving thanks to outside companies like Limited Run Games. A company that specializes in publishing games that are not yet widely distributed and is well known among collectors. But it comes at a cost and the bill can quickly add up with extras like customs fees. Especially since after a change at the level of France and Europe it is impossible for the wallet not to be emptied.
When we talk about Limited Run Games instead of Special Reserve Games or Strictly Limited Games, there are two reasons. It’s one of the most well-known companies in this sector, but that’s also because Bethesda just announced a partnership for a physical version of Hi-Fi Rush on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Of course, without this initiative there would never have been a boxed edition of the game, even if only on Microsoft computers.