The last few weeks Xbox has been running an aggressive "This Is An Xbox" ad, showcasing that they want gamers to enjoy Xbox wherever they want, however they want. It's ambitious and bold and we will see how it all works out for them moving forward. However one specific group is feeling left out by Xbox more and more and it is a group I am personally a big part of. The group that still buys physical games.

This topic was once again brought up a few days ago when Xbox President Sarah Bond sent out a social media post talking about the court's decision to temporarily delay the Xbox App going live on Android devices due to an administrative issue. In her post she said "At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app."

That sounds great, and I commend Xbox for wanting to get their games out there to as many people as they want. But that statement specifically got the physical crowd upset, myself included, because while Xbox is continuously saying "we want people to enjoy their games how they want" us physical gamers on Xbox continue to feel like we aren't apart of that, and it's disappointing, and I voiced that in the comments.

To make this all the more frustrating is previous comments by Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer. Physical games have been brought up to Phil in interviews in the past. Speaking to Game File earlier this year he said "we are supportive of physical media". While he also followed up that comment by saying they are following the customers and right now most customers want digital, the fact that he would say he still supports physical media should mean something. Those customers still exist.

My reply to Sarah's post blew up a bit. And I wasn't the only 1 to reply with a similar sentiment. There was enough responses to the post and reaction to my own that even Pure Xbox picked it up and wrote a story on it. I never really thought it would turn into a story like that, but I'm glad it did as the more awareness the better. And credit where credit is due to Xbox as they have often (not always) listened to their fans. So if even this vocal minority can make enough noise, perhaps we will stop feeling like we are being left behind. But what exactly has physical gamers on Xbox so upset?

The main issue is that for awhile now Xbox has consistently seen fewer and fewer physical releases from third party publishers. Many have been upset by this, though I haven't been as vocal about this as some others have. Many of the titles that were getting physical prints on PlayStation and Nintendo but not Xbox were smaller titles and niche titles. Whether due to budget restraints or just a general lack of interest these companies were skipping physical copies on Xbox.

While this is frustrating it is somewhat understandable. If you are a small publisher with limited resources it makes some sense to cut out the least profitable platform when it comes to physical. It's been stated many times that only about 10% of all software sold on Xbox is physical. That number is a bit misleading since this includes games that are only sold digitally, the fact remains it is still a small part of the overall sales. Between that and the perceived notion that Xbox gamers don't buy games because of Game Pass, it's been more and more frequent to see these games skip a physical Xbox release and Xbox can only control so much of that.

What they can control however is their own publishing, and that's where this frustration has grown, especially in 2024. While smaller games like Pentiment, Grounded and Hi-Fi Rush didn't get physical releases that was understandable. They were budget titles that even other major publishers wouldn't print copies for. It sucked, but I wasn't expecting physical for those budget titles anyway. It should be noted both Pentiment and Grounded did see physical copies later from publisher Limited Run, with a Hi-Fi Rush physical supposedly coming.

What set alarm bells off for physical gamers on Xbox however was when Hellblade 2, one of Xbox's high profile releases of 2024 was announced to not have a physical release. This announcement was the first time Xbox really abandoned physical for a major first party game and made the community upset. Whether we see a Limited Run situation pop up again with Hellbalde 2 (perhaps if a PlayStation version gets announced?) remains to be seen, but a company the size of Xbox shouldn't have to worry about using Limited Run for a major release.

The recent outrage has been brought back up due to more Xbox published games getting physical releases....kind of. Xbox recently announced that Avowed, it's upcoming exclusive from Obsidian, would be getting a physical release. It's a gorgeous looking package that comes with a steelbook. Should make physical gamers excited right? Well unfortunately the package comes with a code in a box rather than an actual disc. They did the same thing with the recently released Flight Simulator 2024.

The problem with this is the vast majority of physical gamers want a disc. The idea behind a physical collection is a certain perceived value. Most physical gamers today aren't buying to sell, but the theory is the game will always be available to sell and be available to others as well as game preservation. And while game preservation is a much bigger deal than just physical games, it is currently the best option for a problem that needs to be addressed by the industry in a big way.

But perhaps the most frustrating part about this is the codes in a box themselves. Many have said that physical is too expensive to create for these publishers which is why they are pushing digital more, and I totally get that. But they went out and created a physical version for these games! If you are going to create the packaging, the steelbook, the add ins etc etc adding the disc isn't going to break the bank. Doubly frustrating is that physical gamers would happily pay a premium for those physical editions. If the cost is the issue charge us an extra $10, I promise you many will still buy it.

By putting a code in a box you have effectively eliminated any chance that 10% group will purchase the game. I can't tell you how many people got so excited when they saw the Avowed announcement only to then see it was a code in a box and instantly say "well nevermind not buying".

The only silver lining I see here is that at least we went from no physical with Hellblade 2 to physical codes in a box with Avowed and Flight Simulator. Was that because they listened to fans on Hellblade 2 and decided to go this route? I'm not sure, but I'm hoping that is the case and that they will have heard the fans once again and even if they don't change plans for Avowed they can at least adjust for whatever comes after Avowed.

There's A Simple Solution

I feel like the answer to all of this is pretty simple. The days of companies needing a million copies to be printed and on shelves are gone. The fear of printing too many copies and needing deep discounts on physical to use up excess stock can largely be avoided in today's day and age by simply limiting the supply to pre-orders and a few extra for shelves/online.

Limited Run more or less already does this. They have a set pre-order time and once that's up however many are sold is how many they print. Xbox can pretty easily do something similar. They would know how many physical pre-orders they have whenever they need to go to print (ie if they need 4 weeks to get stock out for day 1 release). Simply print that number with an added bit of stock for those who may want the game post release. Plus if for whatever reason the game blows up and sells quickly you can always print more.

Why Is This So Controversial?

Lastly, I feel this needs to be addressed here. For some reason everytime Xbox fans speak up about still wanting physical many respond with "who cares", "I can't wait till you dinosaurs die off", "get with the times", just to rattle off a few sayings.

First off, we're well aware we're the minority. But why is this met with such vitriol from some who game digitally? We're literally just asking for the option to remain. If you want to buy digitally go for it. You buying digital doesn't affect me at all, so why do you care if I buy physical?

Whatever the case may be, for as small a group we are on Xbox, we will continue to be loud when it comes to this issue. It may annoy some, but it is something we are passionate about. And as long as I have a platform, whether it be Gamer Social Club or my own social media's, I will continue to fight this battle, even if I may inevitably lose the war.