- Capcom doesn't think it will be impacted by the physical game market's decline
- The Resident Evil publisher says "approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital" and it doesn't "anticipate a significant impact at this time"
- Sony recently announced plans to end the production of game discs
Capcom has revealed that 90% of its unit sales are digital, so it's unlikely to be significantly impacted by the steady decline of the physical game market.
Things are not looking great for physical media. We recently learned that Sony plans to end physical disc production by January 2028, a decision that has driven a huge wedge between it and the PlayStation fanbase.
Organizations like the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have also condemned the plan, calling it "a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice" and said that "the industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices."
"Digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them," CEO Kim Bayley said. "Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry."
With Sony seemingly steadfast in its decision despite the backlash, there's also speculation that the PS6 could be an all-digital console. Xbox is also reportedly working on a disc-to-digital feature, which would allow players to digitize their existing physical Xbox game library, and it all seems to be pointing towards a future where digital will reign over physical media; analysts also determine that the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market could be in danger as a result of Sony's decision.
While some game companies are willing to fight to keep physical games alive, others such as Capcom don't necessarily see it as a negative for the company, for now.
During its latest investor Q&A (via IGN), the Resident Evil publisher responded to a query about whether it would be impacted by these recent developments to the physical game market.
"Approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital," Capcom said. "We do not anticipate a significant impact at this time."
In its Q1 financial results, the publisher also revealed that Resident Evil Requiem has now sold over eight million units, noting that the series continues to "increase in popularity with a broad, global audience while sales of the previous titles in the series also grew steadily due to pricing initiatives." However, it's unclear what the divide is between digital and physical sales.
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