What if, tomorrow, video games were no longer sold in stores ?

© GAME

It has been a few years now that it has no longer been necessary to insert a video game (in cartridge or disc format) into our video game consoles. Worse still, many games are only available in digital format. While this only concerned independent games some time ago, a few “big” titles are skipping the physical format, like Alan Wake 2 or Hellblade 2 more recently. According to recent rumors, it is the GAME brand, formerly present in France, which has decided to draw a line under the sale of video games.

The end of physical video games at GAME ? So no (not right away anyway)

It was at the beginning of the year, the famous British video game brand GAME stopped buying (and reselling) used games. The end of “trade-in“, which seemed to foreshadow the end of physical video games as a whole. A physical market that seems to be increasingly fragile over the years, with digital video games being much more profitable for publishers, and too bad for lovers of physical video games.

© Venson Chou/Unsplash

Also, some indicated that the group was preparing to also stop the self-service sale of boxed games in its stores. To buy your game, it would then be a question of imperatively going through the “pre-order” box, before going to collect your precious item in stores once it is available. Rude for those who like to stroll through video game stores “like before“… However, the rumor would be unfounded.

Via a spokesperson, the British company recently declared: “GAME continues to support the physical gaming market, offering a wide range of physical games, hardware, software, accessories and digital products, in-store and online. For the moment, there is therefore no question of reviewing the house policy regarding the sale of new video games at GAME.

© Stéphane Ficca/Presse-citron.net

It should be noted that while the digital market is gaining ground, the physical market has not said its last word. The proof recently with a certain Alan Wake 2, launched only in digital format at the end of last year, and which will finally be offered in physical version at the start of the school year, due (among other things) to sales below forecasts.

Many players have already made it known that they would finally be able to play this sequel, by getting their hands on the upcoming disc version, after having reached a dead end, for example pure principle, on the digital version.

Finally, if you are (like us) fond of these good old video games in physical format, the ones in which you could breathe, the ones for which you read (or even smell) the instructions in the car on the way home from supermarket, those which did not require a day-one update or “Internet connection required“, then we highly recommend you our dedicated section: RePlay!.

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