Alan Wake 2, one of many stars of this night’s PlayStation Showcase, has some very fascinating information tucked away in an accompanying FAQ launched concurrently its newest trailer: the sport is not going to be delivery on a disc. In any respect. It’ll be digital-only.
Treatment clarify that the choice relies on two elements: present developments and an effort to maintain the value at $60 as a substitute of the $70 increasingly video games are beginning to cost. Right here’s their clarification in full:
Why is Alan Wake 2 a digital-only launch?
There are a lot of causes for this. For one, numerous have shifted to digital solely. You should buy a Sony PlayStation 5 with no disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Collection S is a digital solely console. It isn’t unusual to launch trendy video games as digital-only.
Secondly, not releasing a disc helps preserve the value of the sport at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC model at $49.99 / €49.99.
Lastly, we didn’t need to ship a disc product and have it require a obtain for the sport — we don’t suppose this is able to make for an excellent expertise both.
Is there a disc-based model of Alan Wake 2 within the works?
There are presently no plans to launch Alan Wake 2 on disc.
That sucks! I imply, not for the explanations listed—I, too, hate getting a disc solely to need to obtain the sport anyway—however for what it means when it comes to what gamers are in a position to personal and, extra importantly, commerce in at a later date.
Say what you’ll in regards to the marginal economics of recent AAA video video games retail, however there’s nonetheless—at time of publishing, anyway—a practical resale market the place individuals are in a position to take a disc they’ve purchased, promote it to another person and use that cash to both purchase a brand new sport for much less or, I dunno, simply purchase one thing else.
This determination cuts that possibility out fully. Because it stands the one manner to purchase and play Alan Wake 2 can be to, in impact, buy a really costly license to lease the sport long-term, on platforms that must be supported with a web based infrastructure, and which may revoke that license (or have it revoked) at any time.
Which, you already know, occurs on a regular basis. It has occurred to Alan Wake, which a couple of years again was faraway from Steam and Xbox Stay as a result of some licensing over its soundtrack had expired.
You’ll be able to learn extra within the FAQ—together with particulars on the digital-only collector’s version bonuses, because it’s a digital-only sport—right here. Can any of you consider one other sport launch that was digital-only? I do know Psychonauts 2 launched at retail with no disc model, however disc copies had been in that case not less than made and shipped out to anybody who backed the sport early in its improvement.
