Walmart To Stop Selling Physical Xbox Games, Says Claim

Insider Gaming writes: "In the wake of the news that Best Buy will start to phase out the sales of physical media, it has been claimed that Walmart is planning to follow suit, starting by discontinuing the sale of physical Xbox games in the new year."

[Jin_Sakai]

First Best Buy now Walmart. Physical media looks grim at this point.

[Omegasyde]

If someone goes against the grain they have the most the most to gain. - pun intended

[Cacabunga]

I think I’ll quit gaming if physical is abandoned.. i see no reason in not being able to trade my own games which i paid full price..

[Abracadabra]

Unfortunately, physical media sales has been declining for years... some people are just to stubborn to believe that.
Physical movies (bluray's) are almost gone.
Physical music (CD's) are basically gone.
Physical games are almost gone (in PC gaming they already gone).

I'll be surprised if we see physical games on next generation consoles.

[Crows90]

I wont be surprised. It is true that physical media has declined...theres an easy answer. The majority dont care. But the hardcore base which could include 2 million on each side does. I imagine that physical media now makes up about 40% of all sales.

The issue here is these companies dont understand the demand for games. They dont know which will sell and which wont.

As @Omega stated. Someone stands to gain a lot if they keep the physical media. If best buy and walmart stop selling phyiscal it actually opens the doors to gamestop again.

[Abracadabra]

@Crows90
"... 40% of all sales"
NO... not even close.

"90% of video game sales in 2022 were digital."
https://www.gamebyte.com/90...

"72% of console games sold in 2022 were digital vs 28% physical"
https://mynintendonews.com/...

[Amplitude]

I get that im a minority but I just cant for the life of me understand why anybody would buy a digital game on a closed platform for the same price as a physical version or a digital version on a more open platform

In exchange for not leaving the house for 20 minutes, you sacrifice your ownership, the physical item, almost 100% guarantee you wont be able to play it on future consoles, your monthly data cap and/or your future monthly data cap next time you're broke, your ability to resell the game or lend it to friends, and on top of that you're contributing to all games in the future being digital license rentals with no price competition. It's kinda gross

PC is different since there are multiple storefronts and key selling websites including DRM-free sites like GOG. But console? You're just bending over and letting multi-billion dollar corporations do whatever they want to you.
I think deep down, people aren't idiots. If the next consoles are digital only i can imagine a ton of people migrating to PC both for this reason and just for the extremely quick advancements in tech with NVidia's AI features. The price to performance bracket this gen closed in real quick even with the pandemic greatly affecting GPU costs for 2 years.

I also personally think digital only consoles feel like they may as well be one of those little dinky android set top boxes. It's now just a mid-spec PC splattered with monthly subscriptions and overpriced digital nonsense.
Very very gross

[EvertonFC]

I think we will get one more gen, certainly with playstation but they will go all digital console with the add on physical drive option from launch day with PS6/7.
Xbox however will go digial ONLY and fuck series x2 launch up

[0hMyGandhi]

So, what's up with the BBC study that your Gamebyte is referring to including the states for mobile games?
Mobile games, to my knowledge, rarely (if ever) have been offered in a physical format.
"About 30% of the sales came from mobile apps, which are sold digitally."
Including that metric in that study seems rather disingenuous.

It doesn't help that physical purchases *still* required downloading a massive day 1 patch, or worse: when I bought Doom 2016 right when it came out, I got a single piece of paper with a steam code and no manual.

But hey, if publishers don't need to worry about shipping costs, the price of games should go down, right?....right?

[shinoff2183]

Abra those numbers you posted have no mention of excluding pics, cellphones, and tablets. Therefore aren't completely representative of the console space. Plus how many digital games out there don't have a physical version to buy.

The numbers in favor of digital are larger sure but 85 90 percent I'll call bullshit every time. It's not logical. When you add in consoles pcs cells tablets yea sure it might be that high but that's completly unfair for the numbers needed when talking CONSOLES

And again wtf does it matter to people who prefer digital that some of us still prefer physical. It affects you zero. Not even a little.

[ChasterMies]

Ownership looks grim at this point. I really don’t want to be beholden to a few giant companies every time I want to watch a movie or play a game.

[OmegaSoldati]

@cacabunga Im going to quit consoles and stay on PC. I see no reason too.

[sparky77]

Surprised this is all happening so fast, if those leaks of a digital only XSX come true I fully expect next gen will likely be digital only.

With the split already reaching 80/20 it's quite clear the majority of gamers prefer digital to physical.

[Lightning77]

Little do they know we'll be forced into their storefronts now. No bargain bins in stores or used markets you're locked into a storefront or ecosystem where they can do as they please now.

This move effects everyone in entertainment.

[MatrixxGT]

Exactly why I resisted for so long. Really considering ditching my consoles and entering the PC side for this reason. PC been digital for a decade now but it works because you have multiple storefronts and are not locked to a paywall.

[JackBNimble]

Most of the digital games I buy are on sale , only very few I have paid full price.

[shinoff2183]

The split is not 80 20 come on man. Can you show me a chart without cell phone and tablet included. My guess is no you can't.

[Stanjara]

Biggest retailers wouldn't ditch physical without a reason.

It's probably more profitable to have that section of the store for something else... aka thy don't sell.

[hiawa23]

But, it hasn't happened so fast. Physical media has been declining in stores for years now.

[Barlos]

If next gen is digital only, i won't be part of it. Not just referring to xbox, but playstation too. I'm not facilitating having less options to buy a game.

[ChasterMies]

The Xbox Series S to X split itself is between 50/50 and 75/25. That’s a lot of Xbox owners who have no reason to shop at Walmart. So of course Walmart is looking at using that shelf space for something that people buy. This is actually part of Microsoft’s plan. Once Game Pass reaches critical mass, it will be like the old days of cable TV. Microsoft can charge what it wants and offer the content it wants.

[Lightning77]

Best Buy will stop doing it early next year. Which is terrible. BB makes up 45% of the physical market That's... That's huge.

Btw N4G everyone is reporting this because this directly effects all forms of entertainment in the world. Especially the fact that BB has been the leader in selling electronics and physical sells of games and movies. Again 45% let that sink in.....

If they're going the way digital. This solidifies Sony, MS and Nintendo going the way of full digital consoles in the future.

Which means we'll be forced in their storefronts where they can do as they please in terms of pricing and with no middle man like buying from BB, WM, Target Netflix where we can't buy or rent used games "or (used DVDs and blue rays) anymore. GameStop is the only way and gamefly for now until the PS and Xbox go full digital then what will GS do?

Blockbuster And Hollywood video have long been gone that was the writing on the wall in terms of the future.

If I'm forced to spend 90$ a game due to greedy ecosystems and other greedy online store fronts then I'm probably gonna be out of gaming come 5 to 10 years from now.

The worse news this whole year.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

Who needs physical anymore when the best deal in gaming exists.

[Vctevmy]

Digital games are tax free in a lot of places, so physical games are already 5-10% more expensive. Better deal.

[Lightning77]

No.

[isarai]

For someone with the name Outside_ofthe_Box, you sure love living in one.

[GhostScholar]

While I do agree game pass is the best deal in gaming, I also still by physical. Some people like to collect physical games and I don’t get why that’s so bad. I have probably 500 physical games across all Xbox consoles since the og. I probably have 200 PlayStation games. If anything this makes me glad I never sold them off.

[LOGICWINS]

I caught your sarcasm btw. Surprised that others didn't catch it.

[CobraKai]

I still buy used games. Best deal right there and the previous owner gets something in return. All digital means owners of games can’t sell and the corporations get to keep all the profit.

Everything MS wanted with the Xbox One reveal is now coming true and, this time, gamers are gobbling it up.

[Kornholic]

The best deals in gaming are 99% of the time in physical games.

[thesoftware730]

Yeah, I agree, that damn PS+ service, With all those games and cheap price.

The other service got no games right?, so who cares about that one...it's all about where the good games are, PS+, damn you Sony.

[Crows90]

LOL

Its going up in price dude. It will not be the best deal either because those games dont sell. It also isnt the best deal in gaming because most of the games on it arent new. The best deal in gaming is Steam. It always has been. Thats a healthy ecosystem right there. Gamefly is on par with that.

For casuals that jump from game to game with no direction...yeah sure...gamepass wins there.

[BehindTheRows]

I love that most of the comments totally missed the boat! Well played, Outside!

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

Glad that some caught the sarcasm.

Funny how people are upset or shocked that physical games are slowly becoming... 😲 extinct... when people are pushing how amazing and cheap subscription services are. If you think people are going to continue to buy physical games in meaningful numbers as sub services become the more popular way to game, then I don't know what to tell y'all.

[Barlos]

You're right! I love throwing money at rental services and never owning anything 😉

[shinoff2183]

I could see xbox going full digital but Nintendo and Sony I still don't see it yet. I put this on ms for ushering this bs in. Some people are shortsighted. What happens when you wanna play a wii u(insert any console in here)game you bought digital your just dying to play. Good luck

Somewhere down the posts someone mentions Nintendo and sony saving money. Idk about the future but aside from first party I'm pretty sure the publishers eats all costs associated with disc print runs. Like they pay sony and Nintendo.

[thesoftware730]

Let's be real, blaming MS is silly, entertainment was heading this way, it happened with movies, and music, video games were bound to follow. I'm sure Sony started PSnow before GP became a thing, Sony also had movie streaming. Steam made PC physical games disappear, then you got 20 different game digital storefront , Ubisoft, EA, Rockstar, Epic, Amazon, and not to mention cellphone games, hell even T.Vs now.

With all that happening in every sector, you place blame on MS for not being shortsighted and do what a software company does ...keep up with trends or die, but yeah the hate/blame narrative on here never fails.

[Crows90]

@thesoftware

Putting some blame on MS is not silly. They are the only platform that has pushed aggressively for an all digital future. Gamepass is also a huge part of that push.

Releasing an underpowered cheaper console that is all digital at the start of this gen is also a huge push to all digital.

Buying up tons and tons of developers to put their games on gamepass is also a huge push.

So yeah...its not silly.

[Ashunderfire86]

Well there is a solution to this problem, and everyone and their mom will get on this! There is a rewards debit card that will launch in America first on November 12th, then the worldwide 2024! This card gives you 100% cashback on everything you buy, including paying bills! Check this out to see more details. This is how everyone should react when everything goes digital.

https://blake986.tranzactca...

[blackblades]

That F* sucks walmart is where i get my clearance deals like HFW, RnC at $15 etc.. RIP gamestop will be the source for physical then which is fine i guess after the last clearance sales of stuff being $5 and $10

[blackblades]

Awhh just xbox games nothing else well that still sucks. Should never get rid of that option of physical

[GhostScholar]

Don’t think for one second Sony and Nintendo wont follow the trend. If you can sell digital it drastically reduces cost to the game companie. I’ll buy physical til I can’t anymore.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Well this sucks, but hey I'll dip from this hobby in 4 - 8 years due to lack of physical copies. With Walmart and BB dipping from the physical market my nightmare is coming soon. I rather get my disc or elevate the physical medium than digital. But oh well.

[Double_O_Revan]

Best buy already stated it's movies only. They'll still continue to sell Video Games.

But yea, I too see myself possibly bowing out by next generation. There's a lifetime of games out there already. And half of that is probably already on my backlog. Lol. Will give me a chance to finally catch up. Or even just replay some classics.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

True it's sucks but unless physical media gets a upgrade or innovation which yeah... companies won't do that due to lack of control and also lack of ownership on discs nowadays it ain't happening. We need physical media revolution and innovation in the Industry.

[phoenixwing]

Sad day. The only reason I buy digital on pc is because there's competing store fronts. For console I usually buy physical. I may be going pc only sooner than later

[Omegasyde]

That’s the thing - each console store is owned by console owner. You understand that but even I ma guilty of buying digital because of convenience.

[shinoff2183]

Not sure how many of yall have been in a Walmart game aisle in the last 10plus years but Walmart selection has been shitty for a very long time. They only stocked the bigger name games to begin with. Every once in awhile you'd see a code vein or similar title but usually not.

Been saying it for the past few years. Physical collectors such as myself. The internet is the best place to go. I will say I pre order new titles from gamestop all the time and just pay bi weekly on it since I live so close to one. That works pretty good for me, but yea the internet is the way and has been for years.

If gamestop was smart they'd dig into publishing. But I don't see that happening. I do believe they have published a couple. Song of the deep I believe. I could be wrong though.

I still would prefer my idea of these companies put up a site let us pre-order and then have the disc printed. We're paying for everything up front at that point. They don't have to sink much into it at all, and they won't have games collecting dusts on shelf. This idea is last resort but I'm willing to pay for what I want. I prefer physical, while I use both subscription services I see that as a shitty future along with digital only.

On the bright side I've been gaming for so long and have so many games across sony xbox and nintendo even sega still I'll instantly have a small fortune if need be. Backlog is so big maybe that's what it'll take.

[ApocalypseShadow]

If it does goes that way, I won't be buying anything at launch. Or if it doesn't go on sale. I've already limited the amount of games I buy to a chosen few great games. Not because I can't afford it. I just don't have the time between family, work and home responsibilities now that I'm older.

And since most of the time when I do play it's retro games or local multiplayer, they won't be getting much money from me if at all.

We'll just have to see what happens.

[TheColbertinator]

Switch games make great gifts so I hope those are still available for sale.

[CobraKai]

Well. If I can’t buy physical media, then I ain’t buying any media.

[hiawa23]

Anyone who has gone into the media section of a Walmart, Target, and Best Buy recently can't be surprised by this as the physical media section in these stores now take up a fraction of floor space than what they used to.

[blackblades]

That's true all 3 did get smaller and outta the 3 I say some Wal-Mart's that I go to is iight. Mostly they have newer games and as I said I have 4 well 5 Wal-Mart's one does clearances like wo long for an example to clear out and now its not there no mo but the other Wal-Mart's has that game. Also theres isle xbox and ps is one same isle while Nintendo has there own. They dont need big ones they fine with just selling new or bigger games. Gamestop and Amazon or online is always there for now imo.

[aaronaton]

Amazon approves.

[blackblades]

I guess except if the game is lower price then the free shipping mark if you wanna buy 1 game.

[OneLove]

I've been saying the full digital age is coming. Only a matter of time. I knew it the moment microsoft revealed the first digital xbox and got backlash. Always the sign of a new generation when people push back at first.

[Barlos]

Bad. Very bad

[anast]

It's hard to sell Xbox games these days.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Best Buy also said recently they will stop selling physical media , Blu Ray , 4K movies but will still stock Video games in 2024 .

[jznrpg]

Xbox doesn’t sell many games period.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

What is crazy I believe music record companies sold over a billion dollars worth of music records in one year recently.

[toneblanco925]

The new generation of kids will have everything streamed. Own nothing and be happy.

[shinoff2183]

Until they want to play a game they loved as a kid, teen and can't find it anywhere due to whatever they played it on being shut down.

[EvertonFC]

Probably not worth stocking them with GP, if MS is NOT careful Devs and Pubs will stop making Xbox versions of 3rd party games.

[franwex]

That’s unfortunate, but we all saw it coming.

[OmegaSoldati]

Buy physical media, keep supporting it

[RiseNShine]

"you will own nothing and be happy", so everything is going according to plan, move on.

[DaniMacYo]

The end is near for our precious physical. Digital is taking over. Shame. I don’t mind the how digital is easier to get your hands on.

But I love me some physical games especially those that come with a steel case and special artwork. There’s something more special about a physical copy in your hands. Something digital can never do.

Hold onto those physical copies they are memories now.

[Npugz7]

I don’t even buy discs anymore. It’s just so much easier going digital.

[Trilithon]

physical games have trade in value (if they are recent/decent games)

[DarXyde]

See, this is what I can't stand:

As we march towards an all digital future, nothing has been done to preserve ownership rights. In fact, with the rise of subscription based gaming, we are moving away from that.

Really, it just means I'll have more money for my other hobbies because I'm not going to participate in an all digital gaming future.

The sad part is that I never really minded a digital shift. Really, I didn't. Not in itself. I would love to reduce the amount of manufactured plastic out there.

It really comes down to ownership rights for me.