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Rumor from a single tweet: Target to stop selling physical media (movies and series) in-store and online by 2025
Represent.
Represent(ative) of bad opinions
its dead
Naked Lunch
Member
Physical is dead. Deal with it.
The Future is now Old Man.
For those still holding on - have fun buying all your games from shitty online shops like Limited Run.
The Future is now Old Man.
For those still holding on - have fun buying all your games from shitty online shops like Limited Run.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
In-store I can understand, precious shelf space.
But Online too? That's a harbinger of bad things.
But Online too? That's a harbinger of bad things.
radewagon
Member
I wonder if this is going to go like the reverse of the streaming model. With streaming, everyone saw there was money in it, so they flooded the market and now there's too much competition for it to be as profitable as they expected. With physical media, if everyone's pulling out, will this allow the few leftover sellers to make out like bandits as they consolidate the market share of a small but committed group of consumers? I kind of hope so. I would love to see physical media continue to exist considering how much the digital-only future is proving to not care at all about consumers or the preservation of media. Things just vanish now.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
What if physical media becomes the special edition, in the form of a butt plug shaped like the game's character, and is released one year later, after fixing all the issues with the game?
Kagoshima_Luke
Gold Member
Or just drop out of the cesspool that is modern gaming and play retro games until the end.
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
In store:
ONLINE:
Like who does this benefit? Why remove online in particular?
ONLINE:
Like who does this benefit? Why remove online in particular?
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bitbydeath
Member
Says the “President of Physical Media”
hybrid_birth
Member
If so my gamefly subscription is either going to become very valuable or gf will go bankrupt.
I hope they don't stop physical games. It's going to become even more expensive as we will have no choice but to buy digitally.
DaGwaphics
Member
Source is an Uncle at Target? 
All I see is that one line quoted. Sometimes the embeds don't show for me there.
Can't say I'd be surprised if it were true. Digital gives the publishers the same money (maybe more without any bargain binning) without any of the costs and they don't have to worry about used sales. Seems like a win for them all the way around, not so much for consumers that like games on disk though.
All I see is that one line quoted. Sometimes the embeds don't show for me there.Can't say I'd be surprised if it were true. Digital gives the publishers the same money (maybe more without any bargain binning) without any of the costs and they don't have to worry about used sales. Seems like a win for them all the way around, not so much for consumers that like games on disk though.
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bender
What time is it?
If true, the simple answer is that their store and warehouse floor space are better served with other, more profitable products.
Dacvak
No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
I’m part of the problem. I buy all of my games digitally.
But I also don’t totally see the issue. Every digital game released in the last 15 years has been backed up somewhere, meaning it’s not lost to time. I don’t see a future where digital games aren’t archived somewhere.
But I also don’t totally see the issue. Every digital game released in the last 15 years has been backed up somewhere, meaning it’s not lost to time. I don’t see a future where digital games aren’t archived somewhere.
Punished Miku
Gold Member
No one could have seen this coming.
KuraiShidosha
Member
Fuck the anti-physical mentality. People are happy to give up owning things, and it makes no sense to me.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Dont worry gamers. If it's like the Walmart near my house, half of the game space will replaced by endless hoards of headsets, gamepads, and those tiny $29.99 Arcade Classic machines. Your choices are Pac-Man or Bad Dudes.
Unknown?
Member
Yes, they are pawns of the WEF. You will own nothing!
TransTrender
Gold Member
Like high density housing on the existing shelves for millennials and zoomers.
This way the wagey can literally stay in their cagey.
The Pleasure
Member
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
You know what's amazing if stores get rid of physical game discs?
If you walk around the corner to the next aisles in the electronics aisle, you'll still see for sale CDs of Britney Spears Greatest Hits and The Best of Kenny Rogers for $9.99. Yup. That small shelf of music discs will outlive game discs! lol
If you walk around the corner to the next aisles in the electronics aisle, you'll still see for sale CDs of Britney Spears Greatest Hits and The Best of Kenny Rogers for $9.99. Yup. That small shelf of music discs will outlive game discs! lol
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
PC gaming has been all digital for many years, mobile gaming has only been digital, most of console gaming is now digital.
I don’t see why this is such a big deal. Most of the world has already adapted to this change.
Aside from some Switch games, I think Final Fantasy XV was the last physical game I bought.
Wouldn’t it be crazy if books + vinyl were the only physical media to survive?
I don’t see why this is such a big deal. Most of the world has already adapted to this change.
Aside from some Switch games, I think Final Fantasy XV was the last physical game I bought.
The tweet says “physical media” not just physical game software.
Wouldn’t it be crazy if books + vinyl were the only physical media to survive?
bitbydeath
Member
Oh, the OP is referring to movies, not games.
Although that would also be a dumb move if true.
Although that would also be a dumb move if true.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Oh shit. I spoke too quick.
But what if Target stopping selling physical also means no books or magazines or vinyls either? We dont have Targets here, but I'll assume they at least carry a big shelf of popular books and mags like other big stores.
Well, floor space is precious. For those that don't know, stores will analyze financials based on thresholds like Sales/Square Foot, and the way digital sales have zoomed up the charts since maybe around 2016 or 2017(?) when a lot of us console gamers shifted from discs to digital, that sales ratio for the game shelves must be rock bottom. The size of the electronics section might be similar, but they are trying to increase sales with all the peripherals and weird shit to fill the glass cases. Kind of like Gamestop flooding their stores with Funko and board games.
They could also adjust their sections and just cast off some floor space to another category. In those kind of areas, nearby sections are usually Toys, outdoorsy shit like Bikes and exercise equipment or Pets.
Dthomp
Member
Yeah I mean Target did really need 1 and a half more aisles of cell phones and phone accessories so I guess it is what it is
I will just have to go out of my way to find sites that will keep selling physical because there is no world where I continue to support a console that is only digital. If I wanted to live in that world I would have swapped to PC. Thank god for backlogs, emulation and old systems to play classics on if this is the way.
Unknown?
Member
It's too bad that PC is digital but worse than that everything is bought through storefronts and sold as a license rather than owning the darned software!Yeah I mean Target did really need 1 and a half more aisles of cell phones and phone accessories so I guess it is what it is
I will just have to go out of my way to find sites that will keep selling physical because there is no world where I continue to support a console that is only digital. If I wanted to live in that world I would have swapped to PC. Thank god for backlogs, emulation and old systems to play classics on if this is the way.
Sleepwalker
Member
Haha walmart canada has a special class of inbred gaming products. So much junk.
Gambit2483
Member
I don't see this happening with games anytime soon as games, physically, are still selling by the millions.
It's an entirely different scenario than Blu-ray sales, which have been overtaken by streaming.
It's an entirely different scenario than Blu-ray sales, which have been overtaken by streaming.
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Syphon Filter
Member
writing been on the wall, physical is going away.
Syphon Filter
Member
not true, you have places like gog and other stores that sell games that you can own.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Sadly they don't have the best selection compared to Steam. Often new games won't release there because devs/publishers don't want to give up DRM.
saintjules
Member
Meanwhile Gamestop is still chugging. Who knew?
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Naked Lunch
Member
Pretty much.
That's been my stance for years now.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
If Sony doesn't open up digital store fronts to be able to buy their keys for games from various sellers. I won't get another PlayStation. It would be the only thing to stop me.
Puscifer
Member
My Steam deck is a glorified emulator and place for my 2015 and back games on a glorious OLED screen.
Even after selling my analog pocket I bought another one (wtf was I thinking lmao) during their recent restock along with a dock and a couple 8 bit do controllers.
Gonna snag that N64 FPGA, we know it's gonna be jail broken.
Death Stranding 2 is the only game that excites me in the near future and GTA 6, especially after RDR 2 Isn't even on my radar. My PS5 was turned on for the Stellar Blade demo and off again since I finished Ragnarok, I'm keeping it for DS 2. I have to say something about Ragnarok was the final straw for me, or damn close, in terms of what excites me. I mostly watched my on again, off again boyfriend play Spiderman 2 and we'd swap controllers here and there. But playing it I just didn't feel it. And you know what? That's ok with me honestly. Modern gaming is for a different audience that doesn't include me and that's fine, my only regret is building my PC with a 4080 and basically maxing out RE 4 and having it idle while I play older games like System Shock 2 in 4K lol.
I feel like Chris Sawyer, the roller coaster tycoon creator.
A big interview with Chris Sawyer, the creator of RollerCoaster Tycoon
These days Scottish video game programmer and designer Chris Sawyer flies under the radar. The inventor of RollerCoaste…
www.eurogamer.net
Are you playing any games at the moment? Do you play modern games? Are you a fan of any particular genres, or game developers?
Chris Sawyer: To be honest I rarely play games these days. The world of games moved on and I didn't, and I miss the flawed style and clunky simplicity of games from 20 years ago. I admire the amazing graphics and awesome size and realism of many modern games but for some reason can't summon much enthusiasm to play them. Perhaps some are too realistic? I don't know, but bringing a game too close to realism doesn't work for me. I have a subscription to only one games magazine: Retro Gamer!
Coloress_Kafka
Member
Headline should be all physical media except when Taylor Swift puts out a new album because her fanbase might literally become suicide bombers.
It's about movies and music and it's probably true. The rumour was doing the rounds in September last year. The twitter account is a movie specific account.Source is an Uncle at Target?
They're likely to still sell physical games even in 2025 in store and especially online. People still buy a lot of physical games, particularly in the fall.
GHG
Member
Says the “President of Physical Media”
They clearly want to be forced in to retirement.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
This will happen 100%. If 35% of all console games sales are physical, then SOMEBODY has to be selling them. And they can't ALL be from Amazon.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Nope, not happening.
Boss Mog
Member
Troll post or just a clown?
Go_Ly_Dow
Member
Sounds like a plan if they go all in on digital next gen.
Been thinking about it, the library of old games I haven't played and old games I want to replay is enough to sustain me into old age lol.
If it was profitable for them to stock them (relative to alternative products), they would. It clearly isn’t worth it for them. “Most” buy digitally now, or have subscriptions, for games and film, and those numbers aren’t going to reverse, physical will become more and more “speciality” each year, and be the preserve of collectors. Wallmart is not a place for stocking speciality niche items for collectors. It’s for mass market goods. Simple as that. 
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GreatnessRD
Member
While I haven't bought hard copies in about 6 years, this is still not good. Need to rack up on my blu ray collection before its vaporware altogether. I never thought an all-digital future was this close. Ugh...
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
I'm hoping blu rays and 4k Blu rays have years left. Gaming seems to be a no no though.
We just need a governing body to step in to make sure you can purchase digital content from various sources, cant just have a platform holder retain full control.