@Mr_Muscle I would argue a physical copy of a game on my shelf permanently is better than a fleeting experience driven by mass server farms that are offered by both the isp , the publisher etc I would rather the tangibility of a life long product, than a instant that is doing equal amount of damage to the planet. My copy can be passed along for others to enjoy and once it’s made it’s permanent not temporary
As painful as this comment thread is I have a few sales facts for the clearly unknowing in the thread
The Nintendo switch is a primary physical console, this accounts for up to 75% of ALL games sold on Nintendo switch.
For every switch game that switches to digital a equal game is sold physical so there is little to no decline.
Secondly indie titles make considerable more money digitally, this is why we should be happy with limited editions and print runs as it’s not necessary and is simply a thank you to the fans.
Square Enix has now a limited store selling physical media, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game pop up in 6-8 months time after the day one digital dollar has subsided.
Now the overall video game market is seeing a digital shift and this is inevitable, however this process is nowhere near as clear as internet experts make out.
I’ve studied this and have spoken with numerous sales analysts, npd employees , Ive also spoken to console publishers and I myself have been in the industry in the form of sales for a decade.
Take ps4 for example, it is now 50% digital.
However over the last 5 years the physical drop has only been actually 9%.
What does this mean,
Well to put it simply every digital game sold does not mean one less physical copy sold. And more games are selling now than ever.
Do not confuse a growing digital number with hard sales.
Digital has seen exponential growth but In 2018 more physical games sold than previously.
Ps5 will be a physical system, switch 2 will also and most likely the ps6 and Nintendo follow up will also.
There are numerous factors including
Global internet infrastructure, isp prices , data caps , emerging markets , Middle East etc , Asian markets high presence for physical media, collectors and the fact that more physical games are selling than any previous generation.
These statistics can be backed up by numerous experts including the npd.
This market is not zero sum , it’s healthy
The best market is one that supports multiple consumers
That market is a mix of digital , physical and streaming.
Publisher know this, and as long as physical gaming is worth even a small fraction of its current value I guarantee it’s not going anywhere
And worst case we get 10 more years of physical games. Hardly dead
Vinyl , Blu ray and books are all tiny compared to physical game sales, and yet vinyl is continuing to grow, Blu Ray is shrinking daily and so much worse than games and yet still takes 200 million a year, and has a easy 10-15 years of being mainstream and then after that becoming a market like vinyl
The industry will shift more and more over the next gen.
Expect more limited editions to increase box cost to compensate for declines and also the gen after imagine this to continue further.
Do not believe click bait telling you physical is dead, Ive spent years studying this and it most certainly is not anything but a giant exaggeration
Some serious misdirection of facts going on around this figure
Allow me to elaborate
This figured includes dlc , loot boxes and MOBILE . Sub services and other digital items
Not just digital games
nearly all AAA games are 75% physical or higher
Most large aaa titles saw a severe decrease yoy in both physical and digital totals
(Fallout , battlefield , hitman)
Physical game sales are the reason games sell MILLIONS red dead etc ,
The U.K. high street has seen a severe shift to online merchants like amazon and this had a knock on effect on the retail sector.
Brexit worries has effected consumer spending.
Blu-Ray and vinyl collecting has a large collector base (niche) considered a RICH vein , even now at lower than 30% of the market they are worth tens of billions in value and vinyl actually grew yoy
And finally comes what we call saturation , eventually even after the digital shift has moved you are left with a large percentage of collectors who demand physical, this is still worth billions. Nintendo and Sony will not abandon £££ unless it’s a necessity.
Comments 3
Re: Square Enix Confirms Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Will Be A Digital-Only Release
@Mr_Muscle I would argue a physical copy of a game on my shelf permanently is better than a fleeting experience driven by mass server farms that are offered by both the isp , the publisher etc
I would rather the tangibility of a life long product, than a instant that is doing equal amount of damage to the planet.
My copy can be passed along for others to enjoy and once it’s made it’s permanent not temporary
Re: Square Enix Confirms Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Will Be A Digital-Only Release
As painful as this comment thread is I have a few sales facts for the clearly unknowing in the thread
The Nintendo switch is a primary physical console, this accounts for up to 75% of ALL games sold on Nintendo switch.
For every switch game that switches to digital a equal game is sold physical so there is little to no decline.
Secondly indie titles make considerable more money digitally, this is why we should be happy with limited editions and print runs as it’s not necessary and is simply a thank you to the fans.
Square Enix has now a limited store selling physical media, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game pop up in 6-8 months time after the day one digital dollar has subsided.
Now the overall video game market is seeing a digital shift and this is inevitable, however this process is nowhere near as clear as internet experts make out.
I’ve studied this and have spoken with numerous sales analysts, npd employees , Ive also spoken to console publishers and I myself have been in the industry in the form of sales for a decade.
Take ps4 for example, it is now 50% digital.
However over the last 5 years the physical drop has only been actually 9%.
What does this mean,
Well to put it simply every digital game sold does not mean one less physical copy sold. And more games are selling now than ever.
Do not confuse a growing digital number with hard sales.
Digital has seen exponential growth but In 2018 more physical games sold than previously.
Ps5 will be a physical system, switch 2 will also and most likely the ps6 and Nintendo follow up will also.
There are numerous factors including
Global internet infrastructure, isp prices , data caps , emerging markets , Middle East etc , Asian markets high presence for physical media, collectors and the fact that more physical games are selling than any previous generation.
These statistics can be backed up by numerous experts including the npd.
This market is not zero sum , it’s healthy
The best market is one that supports multiple consumers
That market is a mix of digital , physical and streaming.
Publisher know this, and as long as physical gaming is worth even a small fraction of its current value I guarantee it’s not going anywhere
And worst case we get 10 more years of physical games. Hardly dead
Vinyl , Blu ray and books are all tiny compared to physical game sales, and yet vinyl is continuing to grow, Blu Ray is shrinking daily and so much worse than games and yet still takes 200 million a year, and has a easy 10-15 years of being mainstream and then after that becoming a market like vinyl
The industry will shift more and more over the next gen.
Expect more limited editions to increase box cost to compensate for declines and also the gen after imagine this to continue further.
Do not believe click bait telling you physical is dead, Ive spent years studying this and it most certainly is not anything but a giant exaggeration
Re: 80% Of UK Gaming Revenue Came From Digital Sales In 2018, Industry Made Almost £4bn In Total
Some serious misdirection of facts going on around this figure
Allow me to elaborate
This figured includes dlc , loot boxes and MOBILE . Sub services and other digital items
Not just digital games
nearly all AAA games are 75% physical or higher
Most large aaa titles saw a severe decrease yoy in both physical and digital totals
(Fallout , battlefield , hitman)
Physical game sales are the reason games sell MILLIONS red dead etc ,
The U.K. high street has seen a severe shift to online merchants like amazon and this had a knock on effect on the retail sector.
Brexit worries has effected consumer spending.
Blu-Ray and vinyl collecting has a large collector base (niche) considered a RICH vein , even now at lower than 30% of the market they are worth tens of billions in value and vinyl actually grew yoy
And finally comes what we call saturation , eventually even after the digital shift has moved you are left with a large percentage of collectors who demand physical, this is still worth billions. Nintendo and Sony will not abandon £££ unless it’s a necessity.