Okay nah, we have to stop doing this. I have been informed that the Avowed steelbook comes NOT with a disc, but a download code 😭 Man, what the FUCK are we doing?? As someone who collects physical games this is soooo annoying. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

jakeagame.bsky.social • 18 days ago

Okay nah, we have to stop doing this.

I have been informed that the Avowed steelbook comes NOT with a disc, but a download code 😭

Man, what the FUCK are we doing?? As someone who collects physical games this is soooo annoying.

Comments

meegle64.bsky.social•18 days ago

well that sucks

dogwizard.bsky.social•18 days ago

if a game from a big publisher doesn't have a disc i just ain't buying it

deliciousmorsels.bsky.social•18 days ago

What is even the point of an empty case. Man this is such an annoying trend

shinoseven.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah this is stupid

mcphlx.bsky.social•18 days ago

I have a vintage Doom Anthology in the case with all items it came with if you are interested.

craigmallinson.bsky.social•18 days ago

Instead of a empty steel book, some sort of figurine with the game code printed on it would be better.

charomiami.com•18 days ago

I had it all pre-ordered until I saw no disc, the extras we're not worth it for me with no physical I had to wait extra days for delivery.

locko8668.bsky.social•18 days ago

Guess what. If you look at the t and cs on that digital download somewhere in the small print will be a line saying you’re leasing this or paying for access to the servers which can and will be terminated at any time.

Control is the thing they can’t give up.

gamenewsdiscuss.bsky.social•18 days ago

Second that, it's infuriated me since they announced it 🤣

I feel like not having a disc defeats the purpose of a Steelbook.

Those who collect will want the disc.

Those who want digital don't want the box 🤷‍♂️

kerron.bsky.social•18 days ago

They did this with starfield too but at least the code came on a replica of a Credit Chip from the game that sits inside the steelbook

dictionren.bsky.social•18 days ago

See that's a cute idea but I'd still prefer a disc with a replica 😂

digitaldiabolus.bsky.social•18 days ago

I stopped doing collector's editions ages ago but this is sad to see.

jakeagame.bsky.social•18 days ago

If we're going all digital, just drop the game cases

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sammmystern.bsky.social•18 days ago

Give me figures/statues pls

vohris.bsky.social•18 days ago

They will

*looks at the pc section at Walmart*

lephys.bsky.social•18 days ago

"Pre-order your STEELPLATE game code card now!"

Just little dogtags hanging on the shelf pegs, but with game codes stamped into them...

gojutako.bsky.social•18 days ago

Weird.

sammmystern.bsky.social•18 days ago

You couldn’t pay me to buy this lol

theguuuuut.bsky.social•18 days ago

Man that sucks I am sorry. I remember when I bought Diablo 3 how disappointing it was that disk just had an install for battlenet.

yukikairi.bsky.social•18 days ago

Sony has done this with god of war ragnarok, Spiderman 2, and horizon 2.

thatssojosh.bsky.social•18 days ago

As a big physical edition fan, yes 100% we should get discs please…

autumncompiled.bsky.social•18 days ago

I just got this yesterday. Not only is there no disc, but when you open the steelbook it doesn’t even have a spindle for one.

thesavagemachoke.bsky.social•18 days ago

I was disappointed when I got Spider-Man 2 steelbook just to see a code inside…sigh

shinobibryant.bsky.social•18 days ago

I don't even bother with special/collector's editions anymore because of this. Why tf do we need a steel if we aren't getting a disc to store in it? 😂🤦🏿‍♂️

bartendinggamer.bsky.social•18 days ago

They did this with the 2nd Horizon game as well, and it really annoyed me. Why give me a steelbook case, when there's no disc to put in it?

themcmr.bsky.social•18 days ago

It’s also just a dogshit premium edition. Like… the steelbook? Ok, I guess. But two skins, a letter, a map, and the soundtrack code? You used to get that shit just for pre-ordering at Gamestop. 🤣

cheyennegames.bsky.social•18 days ago

And while we're at it, let's stop 'pay us a whole bunch more money to play X number of days early'.

stealthmantis.bsky.social•18 days ago

I really don't understand. It costs like 50 cents to print a disc. I realize that we just immediately dump all the data onto the console anyway, but just... give us the damn disc.

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

The reason is probably because the disk can't hold all the data (something that is increasingly more common) and with fewer and fewer people now buying physical the costs of printing small production runs of disks is probably more expensive than you think

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah, it's definitely an issue on Xbox, as they still only use 50 GBs discs, which are rarely enough for an AAA game. Fortunately, it's not the case on PS5, where most editions still have the full game on the disc:
https://www.doesitplay.org/

valyriann.bsky.social•18 days ago

Me when I bought the dark souls 3 steel book in 2016. Came in without a disk and had the audacity to give a key code first. Back in my day we would get disk + key code.

tigerknight957.bsky.social•18 days ago

We are doing this because they can still charge the same for the steelbook but without the overhead of printing discs

jakehaas.bsky.social•18 days ago

how to make steelbooks even less appealing

lambchop93.bsky.social•18 days ago

That’s a sick steelbook

clevers.bsky.social•18 days ago

I will never understand why some of these special editions come with the steelbook if there’s NO DISC 😭 like that’s the whole point!

lephys.bsky.social•18 days ago

What's even worse is they're starting to mix'n'match. The Monster Hunter: Stories Collection includes a cartridge for 1 and a CODE for 2, all in the same Nintendo Switch game case.

Confusing/deceptive.

clevers.bsky.social•18 days ago

I got this one as well, hoping they would both be on the cart, and was super bummed they weren’t 😭

nohvah00.bsky.social•18 days ago

The funny part is: It seems to really only happen with America-based devs. My Space Marine 2 and original Elden Ring both came with a disc, but the funny part is: it's never in the steelbook, they ship it in a normal case.

lanadelphox.bsky.social•18 days ago

I’m fully convinced they do it because some people will 100% buy it twice just to have a disc. A bit tinfoil hat maybe, but still.

I’m still waiting for HFW complete edition on disc (it might be out tbf I haven’t looked in awhile 😂) since my steelbook had a damn code

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

I don't think so. They don't want a physical supply chain at all. It's expensive and from an industry perspective, basically obsolete.

lanadelphox.bsky.social•18 days ago

Is it really that obsolete now? From my understanding when you don’t include in game purchases, digital and physical sales are relatively evenly split.

I do know that most companies want to shift away from physical releases, and will 100% agree that it’s more expensive to produce than digital.

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

From all the data I've read here in the UK, 90%+ of all game sales are now exclusively digital. It's a little more complex than that, but you also need to take into account that many people use the various services like PS + and Gamepass that never buy a single game digital or physical 🤷

lanadelphox.bsky.social•18 days ago

Oof, that hurts to hear. Maybe my info is a bit outdated then. Definitely forgot about the ps+ and gamepass thing too, wonderful services but yeah… never would have thought they’re soaking up a significant portion of the market. The price increases make more sense though with that in mind.

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

One of the big reasons (aside from monetization) that game prices have remained stable is that the supply chain costs have somewhat been offset by digital distribution. But there's always a tipping point when that supply chain starts to not make financial sense from an economical point of view

lanadelphox.bsky.social•18 days ago

But doing it with collector’s editions is insane, especially when you can preorder a physical version of a game.

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

I agree. But it's sadly the way it's going. It's the same with basically every sector of entertainment and media, and consoles aren't immune. It's just been whittled down to the point that the supply chain costs will outweigh any loss of sales when it eventually becomes digital only.

nightwolf89.bsky.social•18 days ago

That's why im not getting it. Also not going to be playing it unfortunately but I'll just have to watch someone else play it.

adamposer.bsky.social•18 days ago

That is definitely disappointing for collectors. Collector editions are called that for a reason. At the very least, they could include a plastic disc with art just to mimic the look and complete the feel of buying a physical game.

mindykitten.bsky.social•18 days ago

I’m actually excited for this game, but sad you won’t get your disk.

nathanl75.bsky.social•18 days ago

Steelbook for a download code be like:

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danky-janky.bsky.social•18 days ago

he didn’t learn about this

after the fallout of 76?!?!?!

scattergood.bsky.social•18 days ago

People need to stop buying the special editions and buy the normal disc version instead. It’s the only way these companies will learn.

theanthonymark.bsky.social•18 days ago

Stop buying the games completely and they’ll learn faster

sorawolfkiba.bsky.social•18 days ago

What's the point in the Case then.. that's so dumb ^^;

lachlanh.me•18 days ago

My guess is so series S users can use it but it's still very silly

ajbabayy.bsky.social•18 days ago

It is frustrating. I can’t even get a physical textbook with a disc. It will only give me access for so many months. Like what are professionals to do later in their career if physical textbooks become hard to find and you can’t own a digital copy?

shandy.posts.games•18 days ago

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redcasper.bsky.social•18 days ago

I don't even bother with physicals anymore, because the last time I tried to order a steelbook that actually had a copy, which was Space Marine 2, they delayed the shipment by a week, then another week, then over a month. I cancelled it. This has happened more than once now

pokevicki.bsky.social•18 days ago

Hate hate hate this, puts me off buying steel books 😭😭

theoutlier1.bsky.social•18 days ago

Here is the real bad news, by the terms if the end user agreement you probably don't own the game at all.

vohris.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah I’ve seen this coming for 6 years

Physical media is dead, especially on Xbox/Windows

samanthacrawford.bsky.social•18 days ago

The PS6 will 100% ship without a disc drive included. The PS5 Pro was a test, and the message consumers sent to Sony with it is that they don't mind going digital or paying extra for a disc drive.

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

Paying extra for a disc drive maybe, but it will 100% offer the option for a disc drive attachment. Lots of sales are still physical on PS5, and all of their first-party games get physical releases, as well as tons of niche indie games. It wouldn't make sense for Sony to ditch that market.

samanthacrawford.bsky.social•18 days ago

Physical media sales decline year after year. Used to be that 80% of players bought physical in 2014, as of 2024 70% buy digital (source below). I have no doubt Sony will release some optional attachment, but the base model will not have a disc drive, and most people will not buy one.

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

30% is quite a lot if you think of it, especially considering that many games will never get physical editions, so for an overall tally, it's actually really good for physical. I wonder how the figures would look like strictly for games with physical and digital editions, but I doubt they exist.

samanthacrawford.bsky.social•18 days ago

No, I'd say that going from 80% to 30% in 10 years isn't very good for physical at all. At this rate we're looking at only 10% of sales being physical within a few years - and I promise you that number can and will be helped along if Sony gatekeeps discs behind an expensive peripheral.

vohris.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yep.

Consoles are becoming cheaper PCs

samanthacrawford.bsky.social•18 days ago

Not even THAT much cheaper, frankly. Right now you can buy a PC that'll give you similar performance to a PS5 Pro for like 200 euro more, 300 tops. And that's money you'll easily make back by avoiding subscriptions for online play and because PC games are generally much cheaper (open market ftw)

vohris.bsky.social•18 days ago

Wait till the console players learn that

daninrl.bsky.social•18 days ago

82% of PS5 sales come with a drive. It would be incredibly reckless for Sony to not offer the option next gen.

arrontk.bsky.social•18 days ago

They did it with starfield too and it’s ridiculous like WHAT IS THE POINT 💀

darket696.bsky.social•18 days ago

You got a watch 🤷😂

arrontk.bsky.social•18 days ago

Maybe the real treasure was the starfield watch we got along the way

veinz.bsky.social•18 days ago

I used to collect physical games too, and this is certainly something pushed me away from it. I still get some first party switch titles, don’t have to worry about disc rot, etc. but pretty much done with disc based games.

camalonious.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah this stopped me from buying

ariansh99.bsky.social•18 days ago

Bit of a pattern even with Sony collectors editions in the last few years as well. Code in the box is just frustrating to see.

monkeyderkpo1.bsky.social•18 days ago

Sad thing is i think most companies are doing this, which makes the steelbook utterly useless

jazzlikestogame.bsky.social•18 days ago

It’s egregious

drcata.bsky.social•18 days ago

It’s unfortunate but physical media is on its way out. It seems like most consumers are ok with digital platforms, and pc gaming has been like this since shortly after Steam launched. Businesses are happy because they get to keep prices the same and eliminate the retailers slice of the pie.

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

PC games still occasionally come on discs to this day, although it's increasingly rare. But factually speaking, PC games still come on discs in 2025, and Steam came out ~20 years ago.

drcata.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah it was probably the late 2000s, early 2010 before digital only distribution was more common on PC. I think the last game I bought was StarCraft 2.

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah, understandable. I think it's also a regional thing. For example, I remember the 2019 release of Jedi Fallen Order coming with 7 discs in my country, but US (and I think UK too) editions only came as a code-in-a-box.

drcata.bsky.social•17 days ago

7 discs? Crazy. I’m sad physical media is dying, but I do understand I’m probably in the minority.

cdrew2.bsky.social•17 days ago

I don't think it's necessarily dying, just becoming more niche. Call me a hopeless optimist, but I don't really see physical media going anywhere in the next 10 years. After that, I'm unsure, but it's enough to keep me going for a while, haha.

m3rkberserker.gamer.blue•18 days ago

Missed opportunity, but at least they released a steel book…👀 Also pretty sure the Doom: Dark Ages is doing the same with their steel book 😅

marvelousonejr.bsky.social•18 days ago

are you serious

bludgeonparagon.bsky.social•18 days ago

Honestly I've seen some games sell collectors editions that don't even include a copy of the game. The bar is real fucking low

kharisdraws.bsky.social•18 days ago

Also if you’re making all the deluxe content digital, there’s literally no point in two pieces of paper and a steelbook lmao.

pinkwavegamer.bsky.social•18 days ago

Yeah, games are going all digital whether we like it or not. I'm not sure what that's going to do to the physical game collecting community.

chargaming.bsky.social•18 days ago

This boils my blood so much!

I got the collectors edition for forbidden west and they done the same a download code 😤

sunwisp.bsky.social•17 days ago

Collecting discs sounds so cool I'm disappointed on ur behalf but I guess no one really has optical drives any more :(

wjamesmci.bsky.social•18 days ago

Sigh disappointing cause the game looked good.

ross.tweets.games•18 days ago

As someone that collects cases but not video games I’m upset to see a code is even included, I just want the box

kharisdraws.bsky.social•18 days ago

LMAO I’m sorry buddy. I’ll help you out. Send me your code.

tinyclassified90s.bsky.social•18 days ago

Physical CDs for life!

mrschaotic.bsky.social•18 days ago

When I see that I won’t buy them, I figure I won’t cause a dent, but hopefully others do the same and it does a little bit so they second guess their choices

thesupersmash97.bsky.social•18 days ago

How did you find out about that now!?

crystaldsmith.bsky.social•18 days ago

I'm pretty sure most do this now because it makes it easier for them only needing to generate one UPC code instead of two. It's technically two different SKUs (digital vs physical) so they would have to distribute them as such. Since not everyone has a disk drive, they go digital

mrcarter4090.bsky.social•18 days ago

It’s such a waste. Like either do just a code or the full physical treatment

vongiorno.bsky.social•18 days ago

They did the same with Spider-Man 2 and Starfield collector’s editions. I just can’t find the words to describe how much I hated that shit.

theguuuuut.bsky.social•18 days ago

Makes me wonder if it’s a MS thing and not an Obsidian thing but that’s probably just me huffing copium.

vongiorno.bsky.social•18 days ago

Could be either, honestly. It’s hilarious how they are not only ditching physical, but shitting in everyone who still care by releasing “physical editions” without the actual discs.

blackronin357.bsky.social•18 days ago

Can't say I have a leg in the horse I'm all digital everything. I only want a physical statue in my collectors edition, I don't want a steel book case. Gamepass it is!

bdknapp86.bsky.social•18 days ago

I'm just really hoping this scratches my itch for ES6 or a Morrowind or Oblivion remake.

contra0083.bsky.social•18 days ago

Switch have started this as well we want discs damn it !

maisey.bsky.social•18 days ago

are xbox games even on the disk anymore?

cdrew2.bsky.social•18 days ago

Most of them are, but first-party games are notoriously bad in this regard.

gamingtogether.bsky.social•18 days ago

Cheaper, simpler, and allows for early access to actually function

That's just three reasons off the top of my head