Microsoft isn't giving up on physical Xbox games just yet, but it's focusing on what the majority of customers want.
The closure of Microsoft's division that retails Xbox games on disc was a sign weeks ago that it could say goodbye to disc game sales.
But at Microsoft they are not yet ready to give up the round discs.
Phil Spencer was asked about the physical media and told Game File:
“We support physical media, but we don’t feel the need to promote it out of proportion to customer demand.”
“We deliver games physically and digitally, and we just follow what customers do. And I think our job in leading Xbox is to deliver the things that the majority of customers want. And right now the majority of our customers are buying games digitally.”
Spencer also noted that video game consoles are among the last devices to have disc drives, which can be problematic.
Spencer explained: “Game consoles are, so to speak, the last electronic device that has a disc drive. And that's a real problem, just because of the number of manufacturers building drives and the costs involved. And when you think about the wheels we're going to put into a console – and since there are fewer suppliers and fewer buyers – the cost of the drive has an impact.”
“But I want to say that our strategy does not depend on people switching completely to digital media. And getting rid of physical media is not a strategic thing for us.”
Since the majority of customers already purchase their games digitally, it seems only a matter of time when, at least from Microsoft, games on disc will disappear.
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