Over 70% of all game sales in 2022 were digital downloads

[Brickman | 3,993]

https://www.destructoid.com/2022-console-game-sales-70-percent-global-market-share-digital-downloads/

Interesting stats.

As someone who buys all my modern games physical I was surprised to see the percentage so high. This doesn’t include Switch but I don’t think that would change things too much.

This will definitely have (and already is) a big impact on archiving modern games and being able to collect modern games.

 

[JamesRobot | 5,806]

Yuck.

I get it though.  Way easier.  Same thing happened to movies and music.  Inevitable really.

[MegaMan52 | 2,450]

The only time I'm willing to buy digital is if a game I want was released digital only (like Super Kirby Clash and Kirby's Dream Buffet). Otherwise I buy physical, and will always prefer physical.

Edited December 28, 2022 by MegaMan52

[phart010 | 1,707]

This data isn’t very useful.

Obviously pc gaming is gonna be near to 100% digital nowadays with most gaming happening with Steam and steam-like gaming platforms. Most pc’s nowadays don’t even come with a cd-drive.

Also, mobile gaming (or iPhone and Android gaming) will be 100% digital, just cuz.

What we really need to focus on is Nintendo, Sony, and XBox only and how much of each market share is made up by digital sales. Unfortunately that won’t happen because Nintendo isn’t participating in the analytics. But you could also look at Sony and Microsoft alone and that would probably reflect something similar to what Nintendo is doing in physical/digital splits. 

[Brickman | 3,993]

8 minutes ago, phart010 said:

This data isn’t very useful.

Obviously pc gaming is gonna be near to 100% digital nowadays with most gaming happening with Steam and steam-like gaming platforms. Most pc’s nowadays don’t even come with a cd-drive.

Also, mobile gaming (or iPhone and Android gaming) will be 100% digital, just cuz.

What we really need to focus on is Nintendo, Sony, and XBox only and how much of each market share is made up by digital sales. Unfortunately that won’t happen because Nintendo isn’t participating in the analytics. But you could also look at Sony and Microsoft alone and that would probably reflect something similar to what Nintendo is doing in physical/digital splits. 

The article states that 72% of console game sales were digital but doesn’t include Switch data. 

I think that data is useful enough even without the Switch sales.

[phart010 | 1,707]

22 minutes ago, Brickman said:

The article states that 72% of console game sales were digital but doesn’t include Switch data. 

I think that data is useful enough even without the Switch sales.

Edit: I am re-reading

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by phart010

[FireHazard51 | 2,044]

29 minutes ago, Brickman said:

The article states that 72% of console game sales were digital but doesn’t include Switch data. 

I think that data is useful enough even without the Switch sales.

If you want to see it really impact a console then look at the PSVR.  The vast majority of games are digital only.  I'm hoping that PSVR2 will try and reverse that trend but if PS5 games in general are going digital then so will PSVR2.

I do think physical games will be a thing because there is profit to be made with physical releases.  More than digital?  Probably not but someone will not skip over making money.  I do expect they will become limited in number of copies made physical and maybe even a bump in cost.  

I mean are we really going to complain if a console has a physical release of 3,000+ games to about 1,000+ games?  I know I could do without shelve ware games being made physical.  I only have issues when great games don't get physical releases because with time those games will be very difficult to get and play.  I recently had an issue with buying digital games on PS3.  I was avoiding purchasing a physical copy due to time and cost (also I own the game on another console) and it was a pain.  Six months prior it would of been impossible had Sony kept to their initial idea of closing the servers down.  So I do appreciate the physical games.  But lets not forget how many games are damn near unplayable based on the version found on the physical copy.

[Nintegageo | 582]

Personally, I'd want the Switch data. I only buy physical Switch games, not PS5.

[spacepup | 2,405]

I'm a weird mixed big.  I buy both physical and digital.  I definitely have more digital games for PC, Switch, and PS5, than I do physical.  I still like physical items, and buy them sometimes as well, but there are some conveniences with digital gaming. 

For example, for switch, it's super easy to switch back and forth between games without even needing to worry about carts.  I can quickly start up mario kart or mario party when people wanna play that, or whatever game there is.

There are drawbacks to digital as well, but I only say this to point out there are some benefits as well.

Sony, for example, has been pretty good about extending your digital purchases to later consoles (Nintendo has NOT been so good in this area).

[phart010 | 1,707]

2 hours ago, FireHazard51 said:

If you want to see it really impact a console then look at the PSVR.  The vast majority of games are digital only.  I'm hoping that PSVR2 will try and reverse that trend but if PS5 games in general are going digital then so will PSVR2.

I do think physical games will be a thing because there is profit to be made with physical releases.  More than digital?  Probably not but someone will not skip over making money.  I do expect they will become limited in number of copies made physical and maybe even a bump in cost.  

I mean are we really going to complain if a console has a physical release of 3,000+ games to about 1,000+ games?  I know I could do without shelve ware games being made physical.  I only have issues when great games don't get physical releases because with time those games will be very difficult to get and play.  I recently had an issue with buying digital games on PS3.  I was avoiding purchasing a physical copy due to time and cost (also I own the game on another console) and it was a pain.  Six months prior it would of been impossible had Sony kept to their initial idea of closing the servers down.  So I do appreciate the physical games.  But lets not forget how many games are damn near unplayable based on the version found on the physical copy.

The way the big companies think is like this. If the percentage of people only playing physical games is small enough, it no longer warrants including cd/cartridge slot on the console as they add costs. They also think that the small percentage of people remaining that do play physical games will just start playing digital downloads if physical games is no longer an option.

I don’t agree with this philosophy and I put my money where my mouth is. I have always said I will quit playing new games as soon as consoles come out with no method for playing physical games. I guess mostly the reason I feel this way is because it gives me a stopping point in collecting, but I also like to think that it is some form of ideological protest that I stand for

Edited December 28, 2022 by phart010

[DarkTone | 986]

I can see that. Some people just want the game, on sale, and more shelf space. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

I agree with @phart010once it’s digital only, Im out. I don’t use steam/pc for gaming either. I have enough to keep me occupied for life. Barring VR that hits a real hardcore level of awesome. I could see me never playing a new game beyond the digital only point

[Mega Tank | 965]

26 minutes ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

I agree with @phart010once it’s digital only, Im out. I don’t use steam/pc for gaming either. I have enough to keep me occupied for life. Barring VR that hits a real hardcore level of awesome. I could see me never playing a new game beyond the digital only point

So no Fall Guys or SuperHot for you?

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

6 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

Yuck.

I get it though.  Way easier.  Same thing happened to movies and music.  Inevitable really.

x2

I used to abhor digital, but I've been a lot more accepting in the last few years.

Way easier for kids too.   The necessary internet connection sucks though.   I like how Nintendo does it.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

@Mega TankNope never played them

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

The Switch has shown game sales will never be digital only, and it's the reason the Switch numbers weren't published in the article bc it would've really poked a hole straight through the headline.

The Switch lends itself more than maybe any other console bc it's handheld and not having to worry about swapping games on the go is a huge draw yet it has the lowest digital sales numbers. However, I've seen way more sales on physical AAA Switch physical games and digital copies at retail stores than I have on the eShop. Opposed to MS who has legit sales on digital games regularly and Steam which straight up baits you to spend $10 more on a game you'll never play. 

Digital sales also lend themselves to cheap games. It's just easier to impulse buy a game for $8 than it is for $50-70. That cost of games alone will drive a segment of the market to demand games be physical so they can get an ROI out of em.

What is really going to make or break the gaming industry is subscriptions. If I want to play any new game, I'm just going to check gamepass first. If it's there, I can buy 1 month for like $18 and play the game and a couple more games if I really want to. I'm sure the PS subscription is the same way. And those subs don't count towards sales numbers, at least yet. I read about 25-30% of consoles owners are subscription users so I have to think the divide will continue along physical and digital but digital will more and more be subscription downloads than digital purchases. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,547]

I hope the next gen abolishes disc drives so that I'm not even tempted 

Seriously.

[jonebone | 1,307]

Of course it's just a matter of time. Sometimes you buy a physical game and it's just a download code anyway. I've always been collect the past and play the present mentality so I don't care either way.

[FireHazard51 | 2,044]

2 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

I agree with @phart010once it’s digital only, Im out. I don’t use steam/pc for gaming either. I have enough to keep me occupied for life. Barring VR that hits a real hardcore level of awesome. I could see me never playing a new game beyond the digital only point

We are damn near there with some games.  It's just pain to get everything setup for that super immersive experience unless you let your imagination get to you.  I just think some people are more easily able to get that immersion with VR.  Like how some people can be immersed in a movie.  It won't be too far down the road where it will be difficult to tell what is real and not.  Some VR enthusiast have said that the commercial grade stuff is there.  Like you touch something that is only a VR illusion and it's so real looking that your brain anticipates what it will feel like to touch the object.  They describe it like its what people with missing limbs say is a phantom feeling.  They can feel something though it's not really there.  VR is on a cusp of making huge strides with a consumer/enthusiast grade products that will make people fully engrossed in the game to the point of tricking the mind into fight or flight responses of game play.  

When games finally do go digital only I'm sure I'll be OK with it.  At that point there must be no more issues with internet connectivity.  I think it's pretty safe to say the next console still still have a disc option but it will be 100% a disc drive that is connected via a USB cable.  The next PS5 model is going to be a digital only model that will have the option to buy a disc drive separately.  I know that is a step towards 100% digital only but I do like the ease of replacing a disc drive that doesn't work anymore.

[Tulpa | 3,513]

6 hours ago, FireHazard51 said:

I do think physical games will be a thing because there is profit to be made with physical releases.

It's going to be diminishing returns moving forward, especially for larger corporations that have to hit certain quarterly goals. If the profit of physical dips below a certain threshold, it doesn't matter that it's profit, they'll drop it like a load of bad asphalt because it's not meeting the goals. That's how the big boys play the game.

It sucks for collectors and gamers who prefer physical, but we're no longer the majority of consumers of video games.

I'd say just be glad that boutique publishers like LRG exist and support them as much as you can.

Edited December 29, 2022 by Tulpa

[Gloves | 11,790]

16 minutes ago, FireHazard51 said:

I think it's pretty safe to say the next console still still have a disc option but it will be 100% a disc drive that is connected via a USB cable.  The next PS5 model is going to be a digital only model that will have the option to buy a disc drive separately.  I know that is a step towards 100% digital only but I do like the ease of replacing a disc drive that doesn't work anymore.

Yeah, no. There are so many logistics with that proposal which make it not economical that it's highly unlikely we'll see that any time soon. Manufacturing, shipping, potential for hacks, the list goes on... there's a reason (a lot of reasons really...) that they're offering two versions of consoles across both of the competing brands (Xbox + PlayStation). 

In fact this discussion has been had elsewhere recently: No console should have a disc drive, just let us connect one via USB and call it a day. | ResetEra

[TrekMD | 1,411]

Personally, I still prefer to buy something that I can hold in my hands but I can understand just getting digital games.  The only space you have to be concerned with is the storage capacity of your system's hard drive! 

[FireHazard51 | 2,044]

14 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Yeah, no. There are so many logistics with that proposal which make it not economical that it's highly unlikely we'll see that any time soon. Manufacturing, shipping, potential for hacks, the list goes on... there's a reason (a lot of reasons really...) that they're offering two versions of consoles across both of the competing brands (Xbox + PlayStation). 

In fact this discussion has been had elsewhere recently: No console should have a disc drive, just let us connect one via USB and call it a day. | ResetEra

I've been going through the thread and I'm not understanding it.  I fully expect Sony isn't going to let any USB drive be usable.  They will most certainly make it so that only Sony approved drives will be usable.   This would make it not different than the disc drives in the console itself.  Sony is very much looking into the PS5 Slim models going all without internal disc drives.  There is no fucking way they are going to sell a newer PS5 without the ability to play disc games.  I'm guessing the main reason they are doing this is because the cost associated with having two consoles.  I think Sony is looking in the long term and looking for ways to bridge the gap between disc based gaming and digital only gaming.  I wouldn't be surprised if Sony releases the Slim version of the PS5 with a promise of an external disc drive.  "It's ugly" is the stupidest reason for there not to be the option of an external disc drive.

[Gloves | 11,790]

Just now, FireHazard51 said:

I've been going through the thread and I'm not understanding it.  I fully expect Sony isn't going to let any USB drive be usable.  They will most certainly make it so that only Sony approved drives will be usable.   This would make it not different than the disc drives in the console itself.  Sony is very much looking into the PS5 Slim models going all without internal disc drives.  There is no fucking way they are going to sell a newer PS5 without the ability to play disc games.  I'm guessing the main reason they are doing this is because the cost associated with having two consoles.  I think Sony is looking in the long term and looking for ways to bridge the gap between disc based gaming and digital only gaming.  I wouldn't be surprised if Sony releases the Slim version of the PS5 with a promise of an external disc drive.  "It's ugly" is the stupidest reason for there not to be the option of an external disc drive.

It's not a stupid reason, it's pretty valid. A lot of people care about clutter and reducing peripherals. Once we get into like, even just 2 generations of consoles, suddenly them all having external disc drives becomes a ridiculous mess. 

And yes of course they'd implement some manner of DRM, but you're really underestimating how easy it is to backwards-engineer USB connections specifically. They COULD have some manner of proprietary connection, a la Apple dongles, but then we have a bunch of external drives that ONLY work in that connection for just that console and... well like the people in that thread say - flashbacks to the XBox HD DVD drives. 

You're talking about yet another eventual landfill-filler trash peripheral, and we've all already been there. I'm not saying they won't release an external disc drive ever, but it is a poor option by a number of metrics, and I don't personally think that will be the primary solution to the digital-forward trend in the near future.

[phart010 | 1,707]

Yea the external usb disc drive is an invitation to piracy. Usb is a universal format that pretty much anyone can make devices for. Once you figure out what the signals that the external cd drive use to communicate with the game console are, you can just emulate those signals with any cheap programmable device like an Arduino or similar. Then you just load your ripped game up and your rolling