Latest update: Best Buy has confirmed that it will stop selling Blu-rays and DVDs after the 2023 holiday season. They will continue to sell physical video games for now.
Original story: For years, there has been a battle between game publishers and certain demographics of players over physical games. Publishers clearly want a fully digital future, but many consumers still want physical games. Well, the battle lines may be turning, as brick-and-mortar retailers no longer seem interested in selling those physical games.
Best Buy plans to completely exit physical media in early 2024, according to a new report from The Digital Bits, an insider blog specializing in DVD and other boxed entertainment. Although this blog specifically focuses on his Blu-ray and DVD sales, this article raises long-term concerns about the physical sales of video games. Anecdotally at least, the Best Buy near me has already decided to drastically cut back on its video game section and offer primarily digital download cards. Best Buy will also not sell physical media online, according to reports.
Starting from this report, Limited Run Games CEO Josh FairhurstHe, who apparently has inside information on physical game sales, has heard that Walmart will be discontinuing physical Xbox games soon, and that “deeper changes” are likely to occur. states.
“We expect this trend to continue in 2024. We’ve heard rumors that Walmart will be discontinuing physical games on Xbox soon, and we have to imagine that the physical games section will be further reduced for next year. No need.” […] As time goes on, I think there will be even deeper changes in the gaming sector. With retail becoming increasingly difficult and in-store gaming sales declining, it makes sense that the division would eventually shrink. ”
Fairhurst also acknowledged that Best Buy has seen far fewer orders for physical copies of games, even for games that had exclusive deals. Unfortunately, this may spell the end for physical gaming. There are implications, like Sony making his Blu-ray drive on his PS5 an optional add-on, but ultimately nothing will make a physical game obsolete faster than a retailer refusing to sell it. .
What do you think? Will the physical game somehow hold up? Or will peeling off the cellophane of a new boxed game soon be a thing of the past?
