Capcom Reveals 80% Of Its Game Sales Are Now Digital

I’m sure lockdown had a big impact, since it has had a big impact on many publishers that have talked about it. I’m sure that number will go down a tad, when [if] things go back to normal.

Edit: also worth thinking about: how many games has Capcom released in the last year? How many of their sales are back catalog that is likely exclusively available digitally?

I think all they releases physically in the last 12 months is Resident Evil 3, Mega Man Zero ZX collection and Resident Evil 4-6 collection pack for the Switch, that already includes digital codes for two of the games, and came out after all 3 being available only digitally.

I think I will be 100% digital from now on. I have many physical games for Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Switch, most are Game Cube, Wii and Wii U games. I purchased some physical games for Xbox One, including two limited editions, one of them is Resident Evil VII but I don't have any physical games for Xbox or Xbox 360 because Xbox One was my first Xbox console. I love the fact that I have hundreds of digital games for Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One and that I can play them on Xbox One, Series X and whatever comes after Series X, even if it doesn't have a disc drive. I think it makes things much easier. Right now I don't want to keep collecting physical games anymore, what about you?

@Tharsman I was about to mention this. It feels like 80% of their releases are digital only.

@Richnj the fact that they will not dare make a mainline RE digital only, and even felt compelled to release a shelf box for the 2/3 digital switch collection, says they themselves know that the real mainstream market still demands physical. Their sales are 80% digital because most the stuff they put out the last year has been mobile games like Monster Hunter Raiders.

@BlueOcean I can’t lend digital games, so there is no way I’m going digital.

I will likely get some games digitally, some might even be double dips if I happen to se a VERY good sale. Plus, call me crazy, if I truly love a game trophy list, I can earn it all over again under a new profile.

Honestly, though, it’s very likely if consoles do all digital in future gens, I might do a full switch to PC and just buy games via Steam.

@Grot I agree.

@John_Deacon 3DS was the first console of the current generation. I agree about how physical games have changed, with no manuals and sometimes with half of the final content. I don't see the point anymore because, as Grot said, sharing digital on Xbox is easy.

I have 3DS, Switch, Xbox and PsVita. I have more digital games on the 3DS, Switch games are all physical, Xbox has a mix and PsVita is also a mix (though one or two more physical games).

While yes digital is convenient it just doesn't feel the same. I mean it's great that I can immediately switch games but there isn't that same feeling of anticipation where you get a game out of the box, put it in and boot it up. I guess it's more like a sense of nostalgia for old GBA and PS1 days. It's true there are no manuals etc so the excitement isn't as big when it comes to opening the game box itself but nowadays I believe pre-order bonuses are decent enough to distract from that.

I also prefer how physical versions look on the shelf, and there's a sense of accomplishment when I can see all of them there, knowing they're beaten. That same sense of accomplishment just isn't there with digital versions.

With the Xbox I'm a bit more willing to download digital copies but that's not because digital copies are better or anything, it's simply because the Xbox has so many fantastic deals. I mean yes I could get Saints row 4 physically for £40 or I could get it digitally with all dlc etc for £4.99 off the Xbox store. Plus Xbox1X having 1TB memory to start off with is really amazing.

Nintendo systems just aren't good for digital copies. They don't have the space for them, and yeah there are loads of games on the eshop that I want to play but if I don't like the game I can't resell it, I can't get a refund for it because Nintendo are really awful with that, I'm stuck with either deleting it, or having it sit on my console forever as a constant reminder of what a waste of time and resources it was. Eshop is more of a gamble due to the sheer number of indie games on there so it's more likely that this will happen.

I really hope game companies don't just give up on physical copies. But between covid, people generally being impatient, better (and bigger) discounts and sales online, increasing game costs...I think the number of physical copies will just go down until it's all digital. Which really sucks. :/

@Dremp Another problem with Nintendo is that the first-party games are always expensive on the eShop and the good deals are for third-party games that are cheaper on Xbox anyway. On Xbox you can play first-party games on Game Pass or wait for sales that always include first-party games and save money. eShop is expensive and risky, no Game Pass and no demos for first-party games.

I think the laat Capcom game I bought physically was on 3DS, so a while ago.

Well considering most of their Switch releases are digital only that might account for some of that...

Considering in Europe their switch games are only released digitally (with the exception of monster hunter for some reason), and a pandemic that has locked the world down, I'm not surprised.

Digital is definitely growing, with or without a pandemic.

@Grot Nintendo have a standard and, from top level management, a sense of pride in finishing their games. Iwata often talked about releasing polished games.

Other Companies could learn from that

@Grot Right, I had that exact feeling when buying Wii U games made by Nintendo except Breath of the Wild that still has an awful frame rate in the villages in spite of all the patches.

It depends on the system for me. If it's Switch, I prefer a physical version, as storage is very expensive via the SD card slot and game sizes inflate every year. External drives for X-Box are a lot cheaper for bulk storage, so for my X-Box I get everything digitally for the convenience of just launching from the menu instead of having to swap discs.

I have a lot of digital Capcom games across my consoles, so I've contributed towards that figure

That is an insane statistic, but completely believable in this day and age!

Their collections of older games will have helped skew this somewhat but even for major releases digital sales have been catching up and even taking over in some cases for a while. Then we have the current situation which has accelerated that trend with the likes of Animal Crossing having over 75% of its sales digitally and I don't see it ever tipping back.

For me physical has become less appealing over the years, even from silly things such as cartridges being much more satisfying to put in a console than a disc, even discs have got more boring as they just slide in the front these days. Then you have the fact that even if you buy a disc you can't just put it in and play anyway as it has to install, so the immediacy has gone, the manuals have gone, the console doesn't even play the disc. Then you have Gamepass which renders going out and buying games slightly pointless when I have 200+ sat right in front of me

I think Capcom have a lot of older games that sell really well digitally since they receive discounts regularly. But new release games are not 80% digital sales wise.