No, we do not ship games on physical media.
No, we do not ship games on physical media.
It’s likely the issue isn’t the price of the media itself, but the additional expenses involved. Selling physical storage devices involves costs like facility rental, packaging, and shipping. Shipping alone can be very costly, particularly internationally—expect to pay $20 to $30 in Canadian dollars for most shipments, which often represents at least 30% of the game’s price.
I hope games return to physical formats once more... But it's simply not practical. See how many ship broken copies there are and how big the updates need to be to fix them. Most folks no longer have optical drives. Though I still use one, many computers don’t even have space for one. Those cheap flash drives might seem affordable, but they’re actually costly compared to CDs or DVDs—precisely what was used for distributing games. So think about how much a game’s price would rise. Also consider that those budget drives come with the same reliability issues as their pricier counterparts. All my old physical PC games still function fine. Would a cheap flash drive be viable in 20 years?
still, I can purchase new MSX, Saturn, Megadrive and even PlayStation 5 titles in person... your reasoning seems unclear, it appears PC gamers embraced the "you don’t own anything DRM nonsense" idea more than any other audience. you can update a physical copy, but the fact that PC games aren’t sold physically is meant to prevent resale (which you’d legally be allowed to do).
This thread focuses on PC games, at least according to my interpretation of the original post. While some physical games exist, they don't fit the same context for this conversation. Running a physical game from my "classic" collection works perfectly fine, and some even updated themselves if servers were still active. The challenge with modern physical releases is that many disks are just downloads with no actual content. If you haven’t saved them before the servers shut down, you’re left with nothing. I hope PC and gaming fans unite to tackle these issues.
yes, you clarified the reasoning behind it. pc players willingly relinquished their ability to resell games, not out of practicality but because they felt it wasn’t worth it. i’m puzzled as to why others see it as unfeasible—currently, it’s driven by consumer choices. if people preferred renting instead of buying, major publishers would quickly adapt. this hasn’t occurred with console gamers, especially on platforms like ps3, ps4, or xbox. they tend to value owning a physical copy, which can be resold and is often a profitable investment. pc gamers, however, seem stuck in an outdated mindset, believing it’s just how things are. it’s a unique situation in the pc world, actually.
Providing the installer on an SD card or USB stick would offer only limited assistance. There are still updates available, ranging from a few hundred megabytes to 80GB CoD. The installer would only contain the version it was written with. Typically, most games receive patches within the first year after release.
They often lack intelligence, effort, or affordability in these aspects. Publishing companies are largely gone for the PC market. Some are creating unique editions for physical releases and then moving them online. It’s simpler for newcomers to publish directly without needing connections to publishers, market experts, factories, shipping logistics, or international sales teams. Previously, a small studio would partner with a publisher who handled production, distribution, and many tasks together. This allowed studios to avoid complex logistics and global agreements. Publishers would receive portions of profits and sometimes extended agreements, plus financial support for production. Now, three major firms dominate this space, and most small teams lack the expertise or time to self-publish, which used to be possible. You can still publish or self-publish, but usually without someone overseeing the process due to associated costs.
The expense is too high for most outside the dedicated fanbase. Imagine a game with 55GB compressed data priced at $39.99 on major platforms. Sending it physically means adding a $10 charge for a 64GB drive, plus shipping costs that could rival or exceed the game itself. In total, you’d likely pay nearly double just to own a physical copy. How many would choose this slower, more expensive route? Probably not. Even if available in stores, you’d need to travel there and back, often taking an hour each way, especially with traffic. The installation process adds to the hassle, and factoring in fuel costs explains why Steam grew so rapidly.