… Sign in to your GameRant account Though digital distribution remains as popular as ever, physical game sales of Resident Evil Requiem have held strong outside the US, according to financial analysis data posted on social media. …
… Apple has been involved in a convoluted, years-long legal battles over how it will conform to Europe's Digital Markets Act DMA . …
… However, Jones also praised the convenience of downloading games while traveling, a key advantage of digital distribution. …
… Sony's recent decisions surrounding physical media and digital content have already fuelled debate about what players truly own when they purchase games, films, or other digital content through an online platform. …
… And I also think the ability to update games, as critical as people are of digital releases, the ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games." Notably, both physical and downloadable patches existed before digital distribution became the rule. …
… The GTA 6 digital-only release has also fueled the broader ownership debate, as Rockstar has confirmed that it has no plans to ever create playable disc copies of the game. …
… The debate over physical versus digital games has reached new heights in recent weeks. At the beginning of July, Sony announced that it would be ending physical disc production of new games beginning in January 2028. This means the inevitable PlayStation 6 will be digital only. …
… Retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary." Indeed, what's actually happening is that digital versions of first-party games will be cheaper moving forward. …
… If PlayStation becomes all-digital, Sony gains tighter control over distribution, sales, and platform economics . …
… At a time when much of the industry is embracing digital distribution, the company remains heavily invested in retail releases. …