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Gamesindustry: David Braben: "Physical games will go away in two to three years"
- Thread starter Alucardx23
- Start date
The thread title is clickbait. I'm trying to have an actual discussion. 🤷♂️
Your premise is flawed because most people shop online now anyway. Retailers going bankrupt, if anything, just increases the traffic online retailers will get. 90% of my physical games are bought online. It's why places like Gamestop are irrelevant. I know exactly what I'm getting when I buy a game. It's not like food or clothing or interior items etc. A game is a game.
What? No it's not lol, I mean not really. He's arguing basically the same thing in the article, too. I think you just didn't understand what I was saying, and it's okay lol, it's not that big of a deal.
A temporary surge yeah, but the trend was rapidly shifting digital anyway. Year on year digital has just kept making inroads, and it will continue to climb for the forseeable future.
The real question is not whether physical-consumers will reach 0 (they won't any time soon), but whether the digital percentage will eventually become high enough that the PS5 Slim might be disc-free, for example, because it's no longer worth catering to that audience. Once the whole industry has stopped including the drives, or at least only included them on certain models (with most models not having them), that will mark the point at which many games stop bothering to get a physical disc release. The publishers and console makers both make so much more money digital, they really have a strong incentive to go that way.
People's obsession with physical media dying is so fucking weird. I can still go to a local store and find aisles of recently released movies on DVD and albums on CD. Physical games aren't going anywhere.
Not to mention how file sizes are continuing to increase. It's going to reach a point soon where a lot of people will not be able to download AAA games due to data caps and not wanting to wait days for something to download.
Personally, I don't mind going full digital. The only thing stopping me is because the prices of games here in Australia is so fucked. Every digital store sells the average new game for $100 but getting it physically is always either $80 or $70.
Not to mention how file sizes are continuing to increase. It's going to reach a point soon where a lot of people will not be able to download AAA games due to data caps and not wanting to wait days for something to download.
Personally, I don't mind going full digital. The only thing stopping me is because the prices of games here in Australia is so fucked. Every digital store sells the average new game for $100 but getting it physically is always either $80 or $70.
No way. Not happening. Look at AC, sold 50% digital but that also means it's sold 5-7M at retail, during a pandemic, with stores closed. It that's not an endorsement of physicals health idk what is.
it would be catastrophic for physical games to go away for consumers, even those who are all digital. Low income gamers would have no way to borrow, sell, or buy used games. We would lose our right to protest publishers with bad business practices like Gearbox. With physical, you can support the dev by buying it used and showing that there is interest, but by not lining the pockets of executives.
not to mention game preservation when games get delisted like Tony Hawk, Sports games, racing games, etc
it would be catastrophic for physical games to go away for consumers, even those who are all digital. Low income gamers would have no way to borrow, sell, or buy used games. We would lose our right to protest publishers with bad business practices like Gearbox. With physical, you can support the dev by buying it used and showing that there is interest, but by not lining the pockets of executives.
not to mention game preservation when games get delisted like Tony Hawk, Sports games, racing games, etc
Physical guy here and most people are just reading the thread title. In the exact quote he says "more or less go away" meaning obviously he doesn't think physical games will be completely gone in that time frame.
Still, I do think his time frame is a bit off but at this rate I'd say 5-6 years isn't too far off from digital being the undisputed main distribution method. Physical disc will be around for much longer than that though.
Still, I do think his time frame is a bit off but at this rate I'd say 5-6 years isn't too far off from digital being the undisputed main distribution method. Physical disc will be around for much longer than that though.
Just because people are buying digital because of Covid19 doesn't mean physical games will go away in two to three years.
Also:
Slow Internet speeds are a thing.
USA=/= the world.
How many times we have to say this? Where do they come up with this shit?
Also:
Slow Internet speeds are a thing.
USA=/= the world.
How many times we have to say this? Where do they come up with this shit?
2-3 years they will definitely not be GONE. I think he didn't mean it that way. But yes maybe in 10 years or so (with physical slowly fading away year by year) ?
SAD edition vindicated BTW. It makes me think MS should push more aggressively/quicker for a disc free XSX version as well. However, it doesn't make a ton of sense initially I suppose. Since the console will likely cost 499 at launch, lets say dropping the drive gets you to 449. That's not enough saving to be compelling for an early adapter product IMO. But sure, with a year or something...certainly much faster than SAD arrived.
SAD edition vindicated BTW. It makes me think MS should push more aggressively/quicker for a disc free XSX version as well. However, it doesn't make a ton of sense initially I suppose. Since the console will likely cost 499 at launch, lets say dropping the drive gets you to 449. That's not enough saving to be compelling for an early adapter product IMO. But sure, with a year or something...certainly much faster than SAD arrived.
While the move to digital has certainly picked up speed, there are different factors than preference that come into play depending on your region and socio-economic status. We'll see digital hit a ceiling at some point, after which the remaining physical sales will be quite resistant to erosion. Over the next 2-3 years I can see a larger number of releases skipping physical distribution, but I don't see a complete end to the practice during this generation.
What we're already seeing, though, is that retail has lost the negotiating power they once had regarding protection from aggressive digital pricing.
What we're already seeing, though, is that retail has lost the negotiating power they once had regarding protection from aggressive digital pricing.
Nope. For all the reasons others have already stated, but primarily because it would lower overall game sales too much to go 100% digital.
Gone as in gone gone nowhere to be found? Nah. Maybe one day, but not anywhere close to 3 years. The amount of digital sales is going to continue to rise like it has been with no signs of slowing. Much like movies and music physical media won't completely die, but it will greatly diminish.
Company that sells its games on digital platforms only believes they'll win out in 2 years. Shocking.
Has anyone ever given a breakdown of physical/digital splits for NEW AAA games btw? I see these "Take Two had 55% digital sales in 2019 messaged all the time, but its just like, duh, digital sales are far better on games that have been out for a long time.
Has anyone ever given a breakdown of physical/digital splits for NEW AAA games btw? I see these "Take Two had 55% digital sales in 2019 messaged all the time, but its just like, duh, digital sales are far better on games that have been out for a long time.
Some countries still don't have digital storefronts for Xbox, PS and Nintendo Switch. If there's no physical, how people will buy games there?
Video games like movies, and music are entertainment products. For this to really happen and Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all would have to agree to do it and the major retail chains would not be able to do anything about.
Why 2.7 million Americans still get Netflix DVDs in the mail
Remember when Netflix used to be a DVD-by-mail company? Well, for 2.7 million subscribers in the US, it still is. There are a number of reasons why so many people continue to use this old-school service in the age of streaming.
edition.cnn.com
I think it'll take 5 years to hit 80%, then another 5 years for the last 20%. Mostly due to infrastructure issues though.
50% physical is still a huge amount that isn't going away over night. Plus I expect next gen consoles to last longer than 3 years. With things like covid I can see physical going down more.For reference this is how it currently looks for some of the biggest publishers.
As much as I'm forced to live with it, it's fine I guess. I buy physical first and foremost though. I don't want games I have to ever get delisted, which definitely has happened.
Aren't discs this gen going to be even bigger?
Plus even if digital goes to 70%, that still means a 30% physical audience. Theres no guarantee that all those people will wholly transfer to digital. That's still a large chunk of people and money, even if it's no longer the majority. People are acting that as soon as it goes 51/49, all next-gen disc players will explode.
Plus even if digital goes to 70%, that still means a 30% physical audience. Theres no guarantee that all those people will wholly transfer to digital. That's still a large chunk of people and money, even if it's no longer the majority. People are acting that as soon as it goes 51/49, all next-gen disc players will explode.
We are already way past that 51/49 point. Digital accounts for over 80% of gaming revenue.
There's something seriously wrong with your connection or you mean Mb/s. ;)
Nah...when/if that does happen it will be my last console. Luckily I have thousands of games in my collection to play.