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There's been a lot of talk over the past couple of weeks about PlayStation's decision to stop releasing physical games in 2028 and whether Xbox might go down the same path, and at the moment it seems they're undecided.
In the meantime, we've come across an open letter from "North America's premier independent videogame retailer/distributor" known as Video Games Plus, which has called on Xbox boss Asha Sharma to embrace physical releases.
The letter talks about the botched reveal of the Xbox One in 2013 and how Sony capitalised with the infamous "Used Game Instructional Video", and that it seems Microsoft has an opportunity to "reverse that narrative" 13 years later.
"Sony took advantage of that moment by positioning the PlayStation 4 as the console that embraced physical game ownership, and history shows how influential that decision became."
"Sony benefited by championing physical ownership while Microsoft moved toward digital. Today, Microsoft has an opportunity to reverse that narrative and become the company that stands behind consumer choice."
The letter also discusses how the Xbox 360 era was considered the golden age of the brand, and that the retailer believes Microsoft "can recapture much of that goodwill" by committing to physical for the upcoming Project Helix.
Rumours have suggested that Xbox is still evaluating whether Helix will support discs in any fashion, and Video Game Plus says that it encourages Microsoft to "revisit Project Helix and make physical games a core part of its strategy".
"We encourage Microsoft to revisit Project Helix and make physical games a core part of its strategy. There remains a passionate and dedicated audience that values collecting, preserving, lending, trading, and truly owning the games they purchase. As a retailer, we see that demand every day."
"As one of Microsoft's retail partners, we believe a renewed investment in physical media would benefit consumers, retailers, publishers, and Xbox itself. We respectfully encourage you and your leadership team to consider this opportunity and help usher Xbox back to the position of industry leadership that so many fans remember."
This post was shared on social media yesterday, and has already racked up thousands of likes and is approaching the 300,000 mark in terms of views. At the very least, it's made an impression.
The obvious elephant in the room is that physical sales on Xbox consoles have been poor for a long time now, and taken in isolation, they present a pretty strong argument for going all-digital in the future. That's obviously not what we want to see as Xbox fans though, and we're just crossing our fingers that by making this controversial decision so early, Sony may have inadvertently saved physical Xbox releases for many years to come. You never know!