Starfield, one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, confirmed there will be no disc inside of any physical version of the game. From the now deleted tweet, @BethesdaSupport said “all physical editions include a code for the chosen platform. There are no physical discs.” Many gamers are shocked by this news. Last month, another triple-A title announced a digital only release and Starfield is following similarly in its footsteps. Are we ready for an all digital future for gaming? Is Bethesda/Xbox making the correct move here?
Starfield is Bethesda’s newest action-RPG title. Highly anticipated among fans of the developer, the outer space open-world game is one of Xbox’s biggest exclusives of 2023. The Starfield Direct from a few weeks ago showed features such as custom character options, space flight, exploration, and more. The versions of Starfield range from the standard edition for $69.99/£69.99 to the Constellation Edition for $299.99/£299.99.
Also read: Alan Wake 2’s Developers Championing Single Player Games, Putting Story and Experience First
Is Bethesda Ending Physical Game Releases?
Starfield is not the only triple-A title to release this year without physical discs. Alan Wake II, another high profile game launching later this Fall, announced it was releasing on digital markets only, no physical disc release. The difference between these two games is Starfield will exist on store shelves, just no disc inside.
While Alan Wake II’s reasoning exists on their FAQ page, to keep the price cheaper and not wanting disc players to download the game, it is currently unknown for Starfield’s reason of digital codes inside of the physical versions. If Starfield succeeds in this no disc release, we could be seeing the end of physical game releases. Starfield is only the first step in seeing if the gaming industry is ready for a fully digital landscape. Only time will tell if Bethesda/Xbox are making the correct move here.
Because the tweet has been deleted, it is unknown if this was a mistake or information revealed too early. Either way, game studios are becoming more open to digital only releases such as Alan Wake II and potentially Starfield. The current generation of consoles have digital only editions such as the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Starfield is set to launch later this year on September 6th for Xbox Series X|S and PC (Windows/Steam).
Players can play Starfield five days early (September 1st) if they upgrade to the Digital Premium Edition, Premium Edition Upgrade, or the Constellation Edition. What do you think about Starfield including codes for the physical release? Do you expect more games to follow a digital only release? Let us know in the comments!
Also read: ‘Starfield’ Is One of the Biggest Releases of the Year, and It Almost Came To PlayStation!
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