CD Projekt Red confirmed earlier this month that The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release, which puts it firmly in the year of Sony nixing game discs and ushering us unwillingly into an all-digital future. But that doesn't mean CDPR won't endeavor to launch a physical edition. There's just a slight, GTA 6-shaped catch.
"We don't know what's going to be the case," Studio joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski told The Game Business. "We know what PlayStation has announced. And we have no influence on the policies of the first parties. The discs for the first parties, including PlayStation, have to be manufactured in their own factories. So, if they stop manufacturing indeed by 2028, then yes [we won't have a disc]."
Sony said as much in a recent earnings call, when CFO Lin Tao assured retailers that they could still sell 'physical editions' with code in boxes, i.e. redeemable vouchers that grant you digital licenses to games rather than discs. There's no assurance that the PS6 will even have a disc drive, so if CDPR somehow secured another way to produce discs in time for next-gen consoles (presuming they launch in 2028), there's no guarantee those discs could be used.
Code in boxes function as a 'physical launch' in that you would still have plastic to line your shelf with, but really, it's just a digital purchase with extra steps. Still, CDPR understands the novelty of a collection and wants to honor that.
Xbox also appears to be bracing for a digital-exclusive console, with its new disc-to-digital scheme.
"We're big fans of people having access to tangible collectible things," Nowakowski continued. "We're nerds ourselves, and we like that. We always supported that. So, whatever is the case, we're going to be for sure having a box. We're going to have a box that's going to have some feelies in it. Something you're going to be wanting to open up and enjoy. But we have no influence actually on what's the case here."
The conversation around Sony ceasing disc production is often dismissed as digital being inevitable, with fewer and fewer physical copies sold each year. Take-Two Interactive and Capcom have even come out in support of the announcement. However, Nash Weedle reports that from his experience at Gamescom, third-party developers increasingly do not want to be associated with Sony due to the mounting backlash flooding social media, and that the backlash has forced many to change how they communicate with players. Opening Night Live itself wasn't exempt, with comments pouring in proclaiming, 'no disc, no buy.'
So, the announcement doesn't appear to be going down well behind closed doors either.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/the-witcher-4-physical-edition-confirmed/
