Do physical games have much life left?

[The Blackangel]

As we move into the future, more and more games are becoming digital downloads. even now, many games are sold in plastic boxes the same as before, but there is no disc or cartridge inside the box. Only a digital code to download the game. So it looks to me that by the time the era of consoles after the PS5/ Series X/ Switch are known as the "previous" era, everything will be purely digital. There will be no such thing as a physical game made anymore. Which means Sony will lose big bucks, as they own the patent on BLU-Ray discs, and that's what most disc systems are using currently as they hold vastly more data than other disc formats. To me, the only possible life left for physical games is Nintendo. They have always went with physical games. Granted, anything you can get physical for Switch you can also get digital, but they are still programming carts.

Farewell physical games. It was fun while it lasted.

[SaucyPastaTho]

I doubt physical copies will ever die(anytime soon at least). They said the same thing about DVDs a few years ago when it started fading away but there still here.

[skyfire]

I think from 2020 onwards I don't see the disc based movies and games to have any more future. 

[Shagger]

Developers hate physical game copies because of the consumer rights that are part of that package. One can sell, loan, trade and borrow these kinds of games in a way that just isn't possible with digital goods. So as a result, are physical game releases under threat? Yes. Game publishers don't want them any more. PC fanboys will claim there's no problem with this because they've had to live without these kinds of rights for years now and prefer to deflect how beneficial they are rather than fight for them. Physical game copies are, however, a wonderful thing and I desperately want both them and the consumer rights they bring stay forever. Video games exist in a world that evolves fast, so a transition to fully digital is pretty much inevitable, but I just hope this doesn't come at the cost of a physical buyers rights.

[ARx182]

Maybe, we can't know for sure. If one of the future consoles decides to end support for discs then I think that will spell the end for physical games/discs. I don't see it happening any time soon however.