GAF has a surprisingly hard time with this. For the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch numerous GAFers wondered why digital games (including digital copies of retail games) from each console's predecessor wouldn't just inherently be backwards compatible, on account of being digital, thinking that those games were somehow different and barring them was just an arbitrary restriction with no technical reasoning.
I think it's because of the idea of it. Physical media clearly goes with a specific format. You expect a 3DS game to work with any new iteration of the 3DS. Not the next new handheld.
With digital, you buy it on the iphone 5, you expect it to work with your iphone 5. You're hardware isn't changing. The software is changing, but you physically arent' switching out the hardware, so in the general publics mind, "Why wouldn't it work?"
I'm not sure what digital distribution has to do with this news?
In the case of mobile phone gaming, I don't think it has anyting to do with this because there aren't physical mobile games. But in the broader conversation digital definitely falls into this. I can still play my NES games on my original NES. I can also play them on the newer top loading model. Same with all my other physical games. They all work, on the hardware they were purchased for.
People who bought games and apps digitally for iphone 5 will not be able to play something they paid money for, on that hardware. I have my deceased mothers iPad with games that may disappear now if I decide to update that ipad. I keep those on there because of the reminders and the things she wrote and did. I don't want to lose that stuff.
I don't like the digital future. They say we don't technically own the physical games that we buy, but I can lend them, and god forbid, resell them if I need to. Digital is taking that freedom away from us. You're buying a thought at that point. That could get taken away from you at any time. It's already happened, and I expect it to happen more as time goes on.