Boxed Editions are Facing Extinction? Ubisoft Doubts
Ubisoft's senior vice president believes that many people still want to buy boxed editions of video games, so they will always be available. Meanwhile, according to rumors, physical editions for one of the platforms will disappear from the offerings of the largest retailer in the United States.
Cloud gaming technology and consoles developed exclusively for digital versions of video games have consistently supplanted physical releases. However, according to Ubisoft's senior vice president for strategic partnerships and business development, Chris Early, sales of boxed editions will never stop, although they may decline significantly.
"There is a market for collectible games. There is also the issue of giving physical gifts, making it easy to buy them and give them to friends or family. Some people will always want a physical medium. I don't think that will ever go away. Do I think that boxed sales may decline over time? Certainly, but will they completely disappear? I don't think so," reads the Ubisoft News website.
Rumor: major retailers in the U.S. are abandoning boxes
Perhaps, in the words of Chris Early, sales of physical editions will not disappear completely, but they may prove problematic. Boxed editions of games destined for Microsoft consoles will allegedly disappear from the offerings of Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States. The same would soon be true for other platforms as well.
A rumor on the subject was shared by Josh Fairhurst - president of Limited Run Games, a company offering game releases available in limited quantities.
- It is possible that the rumor is due to incomplete access to information. We could also read similar reports about the American company Best Buy. Representatives of the company, in an interview with Variety admitted that at the end of 2023 they intend to close the sale of movies and series on DVD and Blu-ray, but this does not apply to video games.
- Even if we are dealing only with unconfirmed rumors, there is no denying that the digital distribution of various media is growing in popularity and may lead to a significant reduction in sales of boxed editions. A perfect (though not the only one) example is the upcoming survival horror game Alan Wake 2, which will not get a physical editions. We are also increasingly seeing boxed editions with a download code instead of the classic medium.
- A few months ago, Austrian publisher THQ Nordic announced limited editions of video games, aiming to make them an exclusive product. Premiere of Gothic Classic however, showed that the company had misjudged the interest in the game and prepared too small a number of copies.
As a collector I would always like to be able to buy a physical copy of my favorite items, what is your attitude to this topic? Let us know in the comments.
