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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Whenever any "chief" officer within a company speaks publicly, you can assume that they're speaking in the best interests of the company. It's no different with Ryan Cohen, the CEO of GameStop, who said that he thinks gaming console makers should be required to include optical disc drives on their systems in a tweet this weekend.

"Big win for consumers," Cohen said, replying to a news story about Apple's move toward USB-C charging and away from its proprietary lightning port. "Consumers have also invested their hard earned money into physical video games. Disk drives should be required on consoles."

Cohen, as the CEO of GameStop, has a vested interest in people buying physical game media alongside accessories. While PC games began to shift toward digital in the early 2000s with the opening of Valve's Steam Store, digital console games only became prevalent with the previous generation of consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. GamesIndustry.biz noted at the end of 2022 that only about 28% of console game sales were for boxed copies of games, with 72% going toward digital purchases.

Cohen's choice of venue for this sentiment was a bit odd. Apple's shift toward USB-C charging is a result of a push from the European Union for Apple and other mobile device makers to embrace a universal standard for better interoperability and future mitigation of electronic waste from having to regularly replace multiple different kinds of chargers. The standard includes things like smartphones, tablets, cameras, portable speakers, and other small devices, and requires that consumers be allowed to mix and match chargers and charging cables.

The arguments for and against physical sales are very different. Some collectors appreciate the ability to place a copy of the game on their shelf, but more and more games receive massive day-one patches that make an often unplayable game playable.

Increased digital sales are a direct result of gamers buying games directly through the console makers' own digital storefronts, which allows the owners of those storefronts to dictate game prices without worrying about competition from other storefronts. At the same time, gamers still push back against the use of digital storefronts like Epic Games Store and GOG.com, favoring Valve's Steam storefront. Some gamers have nearly 20 years of games purchased through that storefront and see the Steam library as the standard home of PC gaming, with other storefronts fragmenting their libraries and preferred store features.

It's important to note, too, that game consoles are historically the least profitable aspect of console gaming, with game sales and accessories making up a large part of video game-related profits.

And so that's how we get to the CEO of a video game retailer replying to a news story about Apple USB chargers, saying it would be really nice if game-makers were forced to include optical disc drives on consoles so that he can sell more physical games. GameStop as a corporate entity has not commented on Cohen's tweets, but we assume the company would also really like it if people bought more game discs.

GameStop Boss Says Disc Drives Should Be Required On Game Consoles

"It would be great if people had to buy more of the thing," says guy who makes money selling the thing.

www.gamespot.com

 

[Bernoulli]

him without disc

 

[Dutchy]

he's right you know

 

[DenchDeckard]

He's actually right.

 

[GHG]

Of course he would say that. Their business is dead without them.

 

[Big Baller]

 

[UltimaKilo]

Nintendo is doomed!

 

[MasterCornholio]

He knows.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Game disc would make sense if a full, patched game would be printed on it. But that's not the case. I have physical copy of Cyberpunk 2077 for Xbox. It's useless without newest patches.

 

[Hudo]

I mean, it's obvious why he's saying it. But I agree with him.

 

[trent_the_gent]

I don't know if the disk drive in either my PS5 or XSX actually works because i've never used a disk in either since i bought them near launch.

Fuck Gamestop and their €80 games.

 

[Cyborg]

He is right but it's not that he is concerned for the consumers/gamers but for his own job/company.

 

[Schmick]

Prospect of cloud gaming must be very scary.

 

[dDoc]

I am with GameStop on this one.

Why should regular customers at the very least not want both physical and digital to be options?

 

[DGrayson]

He is right but it's not that he is concerned for the consumers/gamers but for his own job/company.

I wonder what Ryan Cohen's favorite game is.

 

[Aces High]

I got the PS5 Digital and never looked back. Switching discs is stone age gaming.

For my Switch it's the same: I don't play my physical games simply because I'm too lazy to get up and walk towards the box.

Last time I got a physical PC game was Wrath of the Lich King.

 

[Mephisto40]

"Company that relies on psychical media in 'every company should use physical media' shocker!"

 

[Cyborg]

I wonder what Ryan Cohen's favorite game is.

Easy, Candy Crush

 

[systemr123]

"Company that relies on psychical media in 'every company should use physical media' shocker!"

Yes it almost reads as those videos with the title: “this video will shock you”, or “watch this till the end”

 

[Dick Jones]

I have no issue with discless consoles provided there is an accessory that people could buy to play discs on the console should they wish at a later stage.

I fear a discless console gen and I mainly have a digital library.

He's right but his reasoning for saying it is not for the greater good, but for himself.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

It's all unfortunate I guess.

You really can't make something like disc drives be requirement. It's too easy to accessorize it. The issue, however, is that the second you do that, make it `optional`, then publishers start making physical releases optional too. Then physical releases ultimately become a special/collectors/limited edition type affair.

And that's pretty much it.

 

[Edgelord79]

You can make disk drives required, but you can’t make publishers print physical copies.

 

[Ozzie666]

Eventually Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will just sell their consoles directly to consumers, everything will be digital. Gamestop will be reduced to selling Fun Pops, trading cards and clothing. With no physical games or consoles in the stores.

This is exactly what Blockbuster must have been thinking before they went belly up. He's right of course about physical media, just lieing about the reasons. $$$

 

[YOU PC BRO?!]

I’ll switch to digital when I can sell/trade in my game software licence. When I can transfer it to my friends and have it transferred back in turn.

Remember when they told us digital would be cheaper as there were no associated manufacturing or shipping costs? How did that turn out? The number of games I’ve picked up physically at a fraction of the cost of digital is absurd. When you sell a physical copy you are competing against other outlets selling the same product, there is incentive to consistently lower prices. I’ve traded a few finished games into a local video game store and picked up new releases and peripherals at no extra cost. Physical remains the cheapest way to play and it’s not even close.

Microsoft or Sony have a responsibility to champion us consumers, to duplicate the physical experience and integrate such a system into their ecosystems. Anything less is unacceptable and should be denounced. Gamers should be placing huge pressure on these companies to be as pro consumer as possible, especially considering the inevitable shift to digital only.

Something tells me Nintendo will be the last show in town.

 

[poodaddy]

Guy who sells physical media thinks you should be able to more effectively utilize physical media, news at 11.

 

[StereoVsn]

I mean I agree with him. Depressingly I think we have one more gen left with disks, maybe more with Nintendo.

 

[Majormaxxx]

he's right you know

He is right but has his own agenda - to push second hand games...

 

[MrA]

He is right but has his own agenda - to push second hand games...

Annnnnd is that bad?

 

[V1LÆM]

Of course he's going to say that lol.

There's no point to physical games unlike CDs and Blurays. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo need to ditch physical media with their next consoles.

 

[Virex]

What's with all the "digital only" guys all over the internet always getting their panties in a twist whenever someone says something about physical games? Is choice not a good thing?

 

[adamsapple]

Well of course he does. Gamestop makes almost all of it profit off used game sales, where they get 100% of the proceedings.

 

[Mephisto40]

Annnnnd is that bad?

It's not really a bad thing, it's just a dying market

When almost 90% of all game sales are digital nowadays, it really is getting to the point where physical may as well be phased out

I bought a PS5 with the disc drive, looking back I've used the drive for two games this gen, demons souls on release, and for a game a family member bought for me

Unfortunatley for companies like Gamestop, when this choice is made, they will go out of business over night

 

[SJRB]

CEO of rotary phone company says rotary phones should be mandatory in every home.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Of course he's going to say that lol.

There's no point to physical games unlike CDs and Blurays. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo need to ditch physical media with their next consoles.

Such a weird take; you're advocating for less options for the consumer.

 

[TGO]

He is right, I also think any game that bares the logo should be playable too (with the obvious exception of older hardware)

 

[Unknown?]

Prospect of cloud gaming must be very scary.

That's when I stop playing new games and just do retro. Cloud gaming sucks!

Also people need to stop using the term "cloud"... There is no " cloud", it's marketing BS! It's simply somebody else's computer!

 

[Walter Matthau]

Well of course he does. Gamestop makes almost all of it profit off used game sales, where they get 100% of the proceedings.

They seem to make that 100% off their "new" game sales as well

 

[ManaByte]

Their business is dead

 

[ArtHands]

Of course he will say that. I am sorry but console folks will ditch discs soon and follow PC in embracing digital as well.

 

[ManaByte]

Of course he will say that. I am sorry but console folks will ditch discs soon and follow PC in embracing digital as well.

I don’t think I’ve seen a PC with a disc drive in a decade.

 

[DGrayson]

The sad fact is that the writing is on the wall. I am all for having physical games but honestly whats the point if said physical game is unplayable in 10 years due to patches and updates no longer being available? It made sense when the entire game was on teh cart/disc without updates that needed to be downloaded.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Prospect of cloud gaming must be very scary.

It is. I want nothing to do with it.

 

[K2D]

Game disc would make sense if a full, patched game would be printed on it. But that's not the case. I have physical copy of Cyberpunk 2077 for Xbox. It's useless without newest patches.

Gamestop and the like couldn't care less if they sold you empty game discs with download links.

Edit: Even still. I want a physical drive.

 

[Ginzeen]

Digital only is the future. Nothing can stop it

 

[ArtHands]

The sad fact is that the writing is on the wall. I am all for having physical games but honestly whats the point if said physical game is unplayable in 10 years due to patches and updates no longer being available? It made sense when the entire game was on teh cart/disc without updates that needed to be downloaded.

Dont forget console will eventually deteriorate too, not to mention incompatibility with the TV or cables in the future. And out of print 2nd hand disc will be very expensive to buy.

Which means you’ll have to invest with adapters and converters which is pretty clanky.

 

[Sony]

CEO of Toilet Paper company says that people should wipe their ass instead of wash.

 

[Majormaxxx]

It's not really a bad thing, it's just a dying market

When almost 90% of all game sales are digital nowadays, it really is getting to the point where physical may as well be phased out

I bought a PS5 with the disc drive, looking back I've used the drive for two games this gen, demons souls on release, and for a game a family member bought for me

Unfortunatley for companies like Gamestop, when this choice is made, they will go out of business over night

Disc games have better prices. Especially on Sony platforms.

 

[AJUMP23]

We should have physical releases, but that isn't the future. By selling only digital the creator retains more control of the SW and can change or remove access to it as they see fit.

 

[Majormaxxx]

Dont forget console will eventually deteriorate too, not to mention incompatibility with the TV or cables in the future. And out of print 2nd hand disc will be very expensive to buy.

Which means you’ll have to invest with adapters and converters which is pretty clanky.

By the time ps5 is compatible we'll not be playing games for one reason or another...

 

[Northeastmonk]

GameStop is in the business for GameStop. Used game sales only profit their business model, not the industry. I also agree that having a disc for a lot of games is pointless. Not having a manual makes inside the case look even worse.