Over the past week, it seems that the gaming industry has gotten together and decided that physical games are no more. First, we had the confirmation that GTA 6 isn't getting a physical release, meaning that other publishers may follow suit. Then, yesterday afternoon, Sony dealt the killing blow, confirming that it will be phasing out physical releases on PlayStation platforms by January 2028.
Since then, the response we've seen has been overwhelmingly negative, albeit usually from consumers. But it isn't just the players who are upset to see physical releases be brought to an unceremonious end, with Larian's head of publishing also chiming in.
For those of you out of the loop, Baldur's Gate 3 originally had a digital-only launch. It later got a physical run through the Deluxe Edition, which sets you back around $80, giving you the full game (and patches) on the disc, as well as some merch and the DLC bonus content. Yes, you got all of that for the same price as the digital-only GTA 6 - if you get the version without all of the add-ons in the Ultimate Edition.
Larian's head of publishing, Michael Douse, joined others in mourning...
