At a time when digital downloads are more reliable, the charm of a physical release has never felt so irrelevant, and it shows.
Walking into a game store and picking up the latest release are some of my fondest memories of my younger years. I’d sit in the back of the car, read through the manual, and picture the adventure before getting home. However, as I’ve grown up, the convenience of being able to sign into a console and go through a virtual shop to find the next game to play is much more appealing than the crusade to a store. Unfortunately, I can’t help feeling as though the charm of a physical release has lost its appeal in 2023, and that’s reflected in declining sales figures.
As reported by the BBC, the entertainment and retail association (ERA) announced that 89.5% of UK game sales in 2022 were digital downloads, leaving 10.5% of sales for physical copies. So essentially, 9 out of 10 games were sold as digital downloads, which doesn’t bode well for the future of boxed copies. But, it also comes as no surprise, given the accessibility of digital marketplaces and the rise of digital-only consoles.
The US is also facing the same trend in sales, as published by Statista stating that in 2018, 83% of video game sales were digital downloads, compared to 17% of physical sales. But, historically, downloading games hasn’t always been the preferred method. Looking back to 2009, 80% of game sales were via physical purchases despite the Xbox Marketplace launching in 2005 and the PlayStation store launching in 2006.
