One of the biggest “controversial issues” going on in the gaming space right now is the question of what the “future of gaming” will be regarding how people play. No, not in the sense of “consoles vs. handhelds” or even the question of VR, but simply in how people purchase titles for their systems. Currently, all publishers make physical and digital copies of their games, which has been the case for a few generations now. However, many reports indicate that companies like Microsoft and Sony might eventually shift away from physical versions. However, Capcom isn’t going to be joining them if they do that shift.
The company held an investor meeting, and they noted that many users “demand” physical versions of the games to buy. As such, they’re not going to shift to a digital-only strategy:
This makes sense on the most basic of levels. As Capcom further noted, 90% of their gaming sales are apparently digital. However, that encompasses all systems, including mobile gaming systems. That means that there are plenty of people playing titles on their phones or iPads, and that’s skewing the number.
Plus, when you think about it, 10% of their sales are likely still many millions of dollars. If you were to suddenly take that away, then you’re losing a ton of money. Just because it’s a “small part of the fanbase” doesn’t mean they’re not willing to shell out money to get the game they want.
As noted, there are companies like Xbox and Sony who seem to be shifting away from physical copies of games, and those rumors even speculate that the next versions of their console lineup could be digital-only platforms, which will be controversial to say the least. Plus, Microsoft has shown time and time again that they really feel cloud gaming is going to be the future, even potentially prepping the Xbox Game Pass to have a cloud gaming feature.
This is a risky move because while many gamers have gone digital at times, there are just as many who love buying physical copies only. For proof of this, look at all the gamers who get the collector’s editions of games. Sure, some only come with “codes” for the games, but others come with true gaming discs that have special covers and the like.
Until there’s a true reason to give up on the physical gaming market, all publishers would be wise to follow Capcom’s example, as they’d be losing money otherwise.
