Some AAA have already begun to dispense with their physical editions or, at least, the discs.
While Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will hit PS5 on two discs when it hits stores early next year 2024, new predictions date the game. end of physical game discs, and not as much remains as we might imagine. Even so, the process would be gradual and would not affect all large companies equally.
While in the case of Xbox we have seen for years that it is betting less and less on game discs, thanks to Xbox Game Pass, companies like PlayStation and Nintendo continue to rely heavily on the physical format, but it is also losing ground in the digital market. Of the three companies, Nintendo would be the last to abandon this format, according to the latest reports.
The future of video games is digital
According to the well-known Mat Piscatella, CEO and video game industry analyst at Circana (NPD), the digital-only AAA releases They have come to stay, as in the case of Starfield. He estimates that in the next 2 years the trend will grow and looking forward to 2028 will be the standard for most Xbox and PlayStation releases.
“It is probable that Nintendo does not move so fastbut, again, it’s Nintendo and they’re always full of surprises,” says Piscatella. Let’s remember that Nintendo currently uses cartridges and not discs, so it could have another trajectory in the coming years.
Digital only AAA releases are here. Over the next 2 years this trend will accelerate, and by 2028 or so I think it’ll be the norm for most Xbox and PS releases. Nintendo likely won’t move as fast, but then again it’s Nintendo and they’re always full of surprises.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) June 10, 2023
Another of the great games of 2023 that It will hit stores only digitally. will be Alan Wake 2, the new from Remedy Entertainment produced by Epic Games.
