I know these little game industry stories aren't that interesting to everyone but this one should be somewhat amusing.

"Avowed" is one of the bigger releases people are looking at this month, turns out they're selling a "physical edition" that comes with a steel book disc case...But no disc. What do you get? A digital download code, even if you're on an Xbox console. £90, by the way.

Bummer, but

"When you buy any edition of Avowed on either Battle.net or Xbox, you can then play the game on both platforms"
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24177681/avowed-breaks-down-barriers-with-cross-buy

Lol, why are they pretending that Xbox doesn't have a PC app. Maybe if this was 2015 then that would mean something.

"Avowed "physical edition" pre-order doesn't come with a disc."

That's not something really new in the world of video gaming, no?
Definitely not anymore, since Steam became the de-facto monopolist of PC games' distribution.

"You'll own nothing and like it!" - dystopian corporate overlords who crossed over to the real world, Last Action Hero style.

"We like it!" - a depressingly huge portion of the population.

Maybe there is truth in the notion after all that humans only learn through suffering...

Edit:
On the other hand: most people have less power than they think and are constantly bombarded with propaganda which results in them just giving up and trying to enjoy what little they have...

Look... i do not understand the majority of the people, known as "normies"... just not possible, so i stopped trying to figure out how they are ticking, long ago.

I would NEVER buy a physical release without a DISC, do not even bother with... i am out of this! I do not have a single physical game without a disc and it will stay this way... no need to bother explaining me why i should change, i will be totally stubborn.

As well i will never buy a console without a disc drive... no need to bother trying to feed me with something different, it does not work.

Just right now i got my 1 kg of black maca powder, along with my ration of dulse alga powder and a huge bottle of wild seabuckthorn juice... sure, most people would never buy it but to me it is a totally "normal" food or food addition.

Including GOG games and disc games... it will stay this way!


Avoved is a game they can keep for themself... including a Xbox console... i do not need it. I am perfectly happy with the PS5 Pro and my PC.

the £90 is for the premum Xbox edition, which only have the digital artbook and music as an extra, not worth it in my oppinion. The normal Xbox version is £70, so you pay £20 for the art and music.

If you want to play it on PC, then the premium PC version is £80, while the normal verions is £60. So if you want to just play the game on PC, then get the normal PC version, which is 1/3 cheaper than what you said.

edit - oh, and I lied. The premium edition also include two cosmetic skin packs. Still not worth the extra £20, specially skinpacks for a single player game.

This is one of those games that if I *really* wanted to try, I'd just go through gamepass anyways. I currently have a subscription from a free code so It'd be no loss for me.

Sadly becoming the norm. I find the concept iself ludicrous but people are apparently buying it or they wouldn't be offering it. Comfort trumps everything else I guess.

What is new for 2025? Or the past what eight years? Most brand new video games that do get released for sale in a physical box do not even have a physical disc any more they just come with a digital code for the video game on PC.

I wish I can some how go live in a alternate universe where every single PC version of a video game gets released in a physical box sold at a brick and mortar retailer store in 2025 all 100% Digital Rights Management (DRM) free.

No way!

Perhaps in your own universe... i dunno.

At my gamer shop i usually use, almost no one would buy a box without a disc inside, so they usually do no even bother offering it.

Although they do indeed offer Avowed now... they only got about 10+ stored... means... they do not expect it to get many buyers, and so far almost nothing has been sold.

You're probably right but how much comfort can one take in spending 90 quid on a game that doesn't include a disc? (Here I'll note that the official title seems to be 'Avowed Premium Edition Steelbook' so they're not using the word 'physical' or suggesting you get a disc, but still, that price...)
Sure, we're in the 'own nothing' era (as Breja mentioned) but paying a premium to still own nothing? That's next level. As opposed to comfort, I hope a good chunk of those buyers find enough discomfort once reality sets in that they stop rewarding devs/pubs for these so-called 'Premium Editions'.

I'm sure their discomfort would set in eventually. The entire point of having a physical collection is being able to grab a case, open it up, and have your own copy of a tangible disc of the game. The case itself is rather worthless. Hell, the amount of discs I used to have just stacked on top of each other in my draw...God knows where the cases went. But that didn't matter because the discs had all the valuable stuff, the actual content.

Not necessarily true. For most people it is - they treat it as cardboard wrapping; something to be disposed of quickly. And most cases are indeed just cheap plastic.

But there is also packaging that takes the form of art.
Take a look at this for example: https://steelbook.com/releases/toc-john-wick-2014/

Glossy, laser etched cover... lacks leather binding though. :(
It takes some effort and some high-tech technology to create a wonderful case.

But all of that for a case?!
Yeah, most companies don't bother. Most people have enough ''junk'' around already. To have a case that can be considered art is something for collectionists.

...

Regarding topic - I have nothing to add, sorry. ;D

[EDIT:] To clarify: Most people have no idea just what kind of high-tech expensive machinery is needed to laser etch a glossy surface.