Moogle11
Banned
I think the biggest counterpoint to this is the digital game market on PC. Most PC gamers in the western world buy digital, so much that physical games are almost impossible to buy. This has not led to games costing more though, in fact PC gaming probably has the lowest costs and highest availability for games of all platforms.
The other counterpoint to this is digital music and digital TV/movies. Sure, tons of shows/movies are on subscription services, but even with that a majority of them can be rented/purchased on Apple Store/Google Play/Amazon/Microsoft Store/Sony Playstation Store/Vudu or any plethora of other services. Some people still love to own their media, even if it is in digital form.
The entire idea that subscription services lead to the downfall of entire industries has proven false again and again, and I don't see it being any different in gaming than other forms of content. In fact, I would argue that we are in a better place in gaming because digital delivery and digital storefronts allow game makers of all sizes to access the market, whereas previously large game studios dictated releases due to the cost of physical release and distribution.
Agreed. Even with music and movies you can still buy cds (and even records for many) of pretty much any album, DVDs/BRs/UHDs for most movies and shows.
Physical media isn't going to die off, it's just back to being more a niche market. Much like movies in the VHS era when most just rented, but some bought VHS or Laserdiscs and had collections. The publishers aren't going to turn down that easy money form collectors. They just simply produce fewer physical copies as demand is lower than it was at the peak DVD/CD buying era.
And definitely agree on gaming. There's never been a better time to be a gamer IMO, between PC, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo all doing well and co-existing and digital gaming giving rise to the huge indie scene to cover niche things the AAA publishers don't bother with.