The gaming world is becoming more and more digital. Is Capcom still sticking to physical releases? The company has now commented on this.
While everything related to video games used to be handled by retailers, the industry has increasingly transformed into a predominantly digital business in recent years. Gamers are increasingly buying from the providers’ online stores and simply downloading new games onto the hard drives of their hardware; there is no need to go to the retailer. Nevertheless, there are still many fans of traditional media, but how long will companies hold on to them in view of market developments? At least Capcom has now made a clear statement on this.
To the delight of fans of physical game releases, there is reason to be happy, as Capcom has no ambitions to stop them completely for the time being. A company spokesperson confirmed this on the sidelines of a shareholder meeting in June 2024; the statement was only now made public through the transcript of the event.
Specifically, Capcom said: “Given that a significant number of end users continue to demand physical games, we do not currently expect to eliminate physical products in any form.”
This statement is particularly true for Capcom’s AAA titles, which will probably continue to be available in stores as classic boxed versions. However, this does not necessarily apply to all games, as the recent release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess underlined. This title was only released digitally by Capcom, but is certainly not one of the games with the biggest names from the company.
It will be interesting to see how long companies will stick with physical box versions. Last year, 2023, the share of digital sales in Capcom’s case was already 90.1 percent. The rate has increased noticeably from 75.5 percent since 2021. The physical market is therefore becoming increasingly less important and at some point all the effort will probably no longer be worth it; however, Capcom has not yet reached this point, even if the digital share of business will already be 93.2 percent in 2024 according to current forecasts.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess – Launch Trailer
To mark the release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess today, here is the launch trailer for you.
