The Summer of Gaming is in full swing with huge showcases such as the Nintendo Direct, where we are getting massive announcements like Batman: Arkham Trilogy releasing on Nintendo Switch digitally. However, it is also getting a strange physical release. You may be wondering how simple cartridges are going to include these massive games. Well, the truth is, they’re not.
The Batman: Arkham games are some of the most critically acclaimed video games based on comics. Dating all the way back to 2009, with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios took the world by storm with their deep, immersive, and downright awesome portrayal of The Dark Knight. And now, the three main games from the series are due to be released on the Nintendo Switch.
Also Read: Critically Acclaimed Batman: Arkham Trilogy Dropping on Nintendo Switch Soon
The Physical Release of Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Rather than all the games releasing on a singular cartridge, or even separate cartridges for that matter, they are being divided. One game on a physical cartridge, while including the rest as downloadable content. Batman: Arkham Asylum is on the cartridge, while Arkham City and Arkham Knight are both included as codes that you can use to download the games from the Nintendo eShop.
What’s really strange about this release, is that even when you want to play the digital games, you have to insert the cartridge. Let’s say you want to play Arkham City. Well, you’re first going to have to insert Arkham Asylum, then you get to play Arkham City (Source: The WB FAQ Page).
Also Read: Every Batman Arkham Game – Ranked Worst to Best
In fact, Batman: Arkham Trilogy is not the first release to try such an approach. It is starting to become more common for game publishers to release their products completely digitally, so that they don’t have to worry about the expenses of making physical copies.
The Rising Trend of Digital-Only Releases
Video Games are becoming more and more expensive to make. Most publishers are opting for a $70 price tag on their AAA titles to combat the rise of said expense. Some are trying out a digital-only approach to their games. This mitigates the production cost of physical copies and allows the publishers and developers to stay focused on their goal of making a great game.
Read Also: “More time to polish…” Alan Wake 2’s Devs Explain Unpopular Digital Release Decision
Batman: Arkham Trilogy is releasing digitally, as you would expect, but even the physical release opts for digital codes. Other games, such as Fortnite and Overwatch, also released physically without the cartridge. They simply come with digital codes. Other blockbuster titles include the yet-to-be-released Alan Wake II, which will only be released digitally.
A similar release to Batman: Arkham Trilogy is Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which came bundled with the original Assassin’s Creed, which was only included on a digital code, and which you could only play while Revelations was inserted into the console. Turns out, publishers have been trying to get the formula right for quite a while now.
It seems clear to many gamers that publishers are trying to shift towards digital-only releases. Only time will tell if this steers the gaming industry in the right direction. Many, including myself, still love physical releases, and much prefer them to digital releases. But maybe this digital-only approach is for the best, especially with the landscape of media nowadays.
Will you be picking up Batman: Arkham Trilogy? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Batman: Arkham Trilogy FAQ
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