Xbox Expected to Go Full Digital Next-Gen, Industry Analyst Says; PlayStation and Nintendo to Follow Suit Later On

Xbox is expected to abandon physical media and go full digital next-gen. At least, that's what known industry analyst Mat Piscatella believes.

For quite some time we've seen Xbox pulling the chariot when it comes to the digital transformation. Aside from several high-profile titles, including recent titles such as Hellblade II not releasing physically, there are signs that several major retailers have stopped selling physical copies of Xbox titles. Back in January of this year, we reported that Xbox layoffs might have included a shutdown of the physical release teams. "Microsoft has also shut down departments dedicated to bringing Xbox games to physical retail ... which if you've seen the digital-only Xbox console leaks ... well, you get an idea of where Microsoft is going here", WindowsCentral's Jez Corden wrote.

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Taking to X, industry analyst Mat Piscatella has now said that Xbox players should expect no physical releases rather sooner than later. Later on, he added that he expects Sony to do the same after another generation, followed by Nintendo after another two consoles generations. "Folks should probably just get used to this (no physical Xbox versions) across the market sooner rather than later", the analyst wrote on X following a post from the CEO of Limited Run Games about the physical release of the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Collection.

"Yep, give [PlayStation] another gen, Nintendo another 2", Piscatella added on X.

Whether Microsoft will indeed go full digital during the next console generation remain to be seen, but the shift to all-digital is clear - following the all-digital Series S console, Microsoft recently announced the new Xbox Series X digital edition. This white version of the Series X will launch this holiday for $449.99/€499.99.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Will Microsoft indeed be going full digital in the coming years? What