Following the conclusion of Microsoft's big Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month, preorders for several of the biggest titles in the presentation — namely The Outer Worlds 2, Gears of War: Reloaded, and Ninja Gaiden 4 — went live across digital storefronts like Best Buy. In the wake of the show, though, many have noticed that none of the Xbox Series X|S listings for these games include physical copies even though PS5 ones do.
Indeed, buying nearly any Xbox version of these titles available will entail the retailer simply emailing you a code for the game, and while their Premium/Deluxe Editions do come with a physical case, there's not an actual disc within them. Instead, you're just given a code in the box you can redeem on Microsoft's digital Xbox marketplace.
It's a bizarre discrepancy between the Xbox and PS5 editions of these games, and given that all three don't have a physical disc option for Microsoft's consoles, there's a growing concern that the Redmond firm is killing physical releases for its Xbox titles. And honestly, I'm pretty worried too.
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Availability for physical game releases has steadily declined over the years as a consequence of the rise of digital game distribution. Not only is downloading and installing a game digitally more convenient than using a disc, but selling titles digitally is also less expensive for publishers since they don't have to worry about physically manufacturing and distributing traditional cased discs. The globally popular Xbox Game Pass service, too, is entirely digital.
However, there are several reasons many still prefer physical copies of games. A big one for lots of console gamers is a greater sense of control over what you own; you could theoretically lose access to a digital game if your license for it is taken from your account, but with a physical copy, the disc is the license. Notably, that fact is why physical copies can also be resold or traded on the used games market. Some are also passionate about being able to build up a tangible library of games.
If you ask me, having as many options as possible is ideal, even if I've personally become a digital-only gamer at this point. However, it seems like Microsoft may be moving away from physical game releases entirely — even though last year, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in an interview that getting rid of physical would not be "a strategic thing" for Xbox.
Xbox Play Anywhere is on the rise
The question, of course, is "why?" — and in addition to aforementioned factors like declining physical media purchases and production costs, the answer could be Microsoft's Xbox Play Anywhere program. Games that support Xbox Play Anywhere allow their players to enjoy them and transfer saves and progress across both Xbox and Windows PC (via the Xbox PC app) without buying a second copy, provided users are using the same Microsoft account on both systems.
It's an extremely useful program for multiplatform players and one that Microsoft is looking to expand on moving forward — and also one that all three of the upcoming games without physical Xbox editions will support at launch. Indeed, Xbox Play Anywhere depends on the digital license applied to your Microsoft account, and is exclusively supported digitally for that reason; it simply wouldn't work with physical copies since they have the license on the disc.
Historically, Microsoft has released physical Xbox versions of Xbox Play Anywhere titles without the feature alongside their digital counterparts. But with Xbox Play Anywhere becoming increasingly valuable in this age of multiplatform gaming (especially with Xbox Ally handhelds on the way) and physical copies less popular and profitable than ever, it wouldn't surprise me if their production is coming to an end.
