What does this mean for the Future of Gaming?
Alan Wake II will have no physical version
With the recent PlayStation Showcase, many were taken aback by Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gameplay Trailer. However, one of the sleeper hits of the show, Alan Wake II, announced some details that could change the gaming industry forever.
Remedy Entertainment, the developers of the game, revealed Alan Wake II will only release on digital marketplaces and will not have a physical release. On the website’s FAQ section, Remedy answered “why is Alan Wake II a digital-only release?” They said “there are many reasons for this” but here’s the main three they gave:
- Gaming has embraced the digital space with the PS5 Digital Edition and Xbox Series S
- Keeping the price down to $59.99 for consoles and $49.99 for PC
- Not wanting players to download the game via the disc
Furthermore, this is the next question in the FAQ:
Is there a disc-based version of Alan Wake II in the works?
There are currently no plans to release Alan Wake II on disc.
Alan Wake II is scheduled to launch on October 17, 2023 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
My Take
For a AAA project to NOT launch with a physical version is odd. Commonly, indie games launch digital only due to their smaller budget. Remedy has Epic Games publishing the game, the developers of Fortnite, which makes their budget not small. Alan Wake II can release physically but Remedy is going the digital only approach.
Recent AAA games had about 50% of sales come from retail. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor had 55% of its sales come digitally while it was 35% for its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The shift to digital is there but it’s still about 50% of physical sales for games like Resident Evil 4 remake and Dead Space remake.
By shifting to digital only, they’re also able to avoid the $69.99 price point that has been universal across most AAA titles today. While it is nice to save some money up front, you lose the ability to sell your copy or purchase the game used. And if the game ever goes on sale, you’re at the will of the digital marketplaces, eliminating retail discounts.
The biggest thing Alan Wake II is doing is setting a precedent. If the game sells well, matching overall sales numbers against others that launched digitally and physically, this could mean the end of physical games.
What’s stopping other studios from making the same move? What’s the point of the physical release if the sales numbers are all the same? If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches later this year digitally only, I’ll bite the bullet and download it. While I’ll be bummed to not have the game physically, I have no other option if I want to play it. Or if the game launches early digitally? I’d download it.
This only happens if Alan Wake II succeeds in this approach. We’ll have to wait and see if this digital only release works for Alan Wake II. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do a physical release later on if the game sells well. This precedent can be dangerous as it limits the consumers options in purchasing the product. Only time will tell if gaming is approaching its digital only era.
Travis “tvsonic” Vuong
Business e-mail: travisvuong56@gmail.com
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