No Elder Scrolls VI Disc?

I read an interesting article on the CNN/Money website that insists disc-based gaming will soon be extinct. The article makes some valid points regarding the growth of smartphone and tablet games, and I suppose it’s not too hard to imagine a world where digitally downloaded games are truly the norm (you can read the article in its entirety here).

No Elder Scrolls VI Disc

Peter Warman, president of Newzoo (a market research and consulting firm focused on the games industry), is quoted within the article as saying:

Disc-based games will disappear completely, or be decimated, within the next five years to a level we currently see with music.

If Warman is correct, we very well may not see an Elder Scrolls VI disc when Skyrim’s successor is released sometime in the future.

I don’t know how I feel about this. Yes, I’m both a console and a PC gamer, and it’s true that I already download most of my video games to play on PC. With that said, when given the option this month to pre-order either the digital or retail version of The Elder Scrolls Online, I opted for the retail version.

Why is that?

For games that I care about, there’s something reassuring about having physical discs in my possession. A downloaded, digital game is stored away on my computer’s hard drive, never to be handled — never to be possessed. But a physical game disc is tangible — something that I can see and touch. My copies of Skyrim, Fallout, and Dishonored stand with the rest of their brethren in neat rows on my gaming shelf, complete with artwork, maps, etc. For instance, I love the fact that both the Elder Scrolls Anthology and The Elder Scrolls Online boxed sets are designed with the collector in mind, and it would be a shame if these games had been distributed strictly by digital means.

Is The End of Video Game Discs A Sure Thing?

So how would you feel if there wasn’t an Elder Scrolls VI disc? Are discs dead tech, and will we soon live in a digital-only world, or is there still room for discs in the future? Share your thoughts with your fellow gamers in the Speak Your Mind section below.

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Hilary

10 years ago

I’d have to agree with you about this, I also prefer a disc just for the sake of having it. But I highly doubt games will go completely digital in the next five years. Developers make a lot of money off special collectors’ editions, with maps, bonus art, posters, etc, and they won’t want to give that up just yet. Sure they could offer more digital content, but most gamers (myself included) will shell out more money for game merch. Also, you have to realize that there are a ton of places that still don’t have the internet connection to download games. It’s either not fast (3 weeks to download) or they are limited in the amount of data per month.

Shane Scarbrough

Reply to Hilary

Excellent post, Hilary. I’m one of the unlucky few who have terrible internet I frequently enjoy the collector’s editions. Here’s hoping we’re not all digital by the time Elder Scrolls VI comes to market 🙂