Video games are constantly forging new paths in terms of presentation, concept, user interaction, and sometimes even marketing. Starfield is trying to draw a lot of attention as it gets closer to release, and has just revealed some interesting details about its physical editions. Namely, it appears that the special physical Constellation Edition game won’t even have the disc that everyone expects a physical release to have. What this will accomplish in terms of sales and marketing is unknown, but many people are not on board with this unusual idea. Thankfully, this rule doesn’t apply to all versions of the game.
Starfield Physical Copy
Since the very first video games, people have gotten used to going to the shop. It’s the old-school routine: buying the game, opening it up, and putting it on the shelf. Though digital releases are becoming more popular and convenient, there are still many who appreciate a good physical copy. However, it appears that Starfield will be forgoing this by not including a disc with the special physical edition release of the game.
An early report from Eurogamer referenced a since-deleted tweet suggesting that Starfield would not be made available physically. However, it seems there may have been some miscommunication, as other reports indicate that it’s only the special edition that will instead include a digital code. While the special edition case can still be displayed as a collectible, there will be difficulties concerning resale and trading, since typically once a game code is entered on one system, it can not be entered on another.
There have already been troubles in trying to trade in or resell special editions of certain games. Usually it’s because special editions include their expansions and add-ons as codes that need to be entered into your console. After this is done, the game can only be resold or traded as the base game, since the extra download codes are no longer usable.
It may be that special edition buyers are less likely to sell their rarer copies, given the cost of purchase in the first place. However, there’s significantly less trade value when the entire package includes a game code that can’t be reused.
Starfield has been popping up all over the gaming world in various areas, but it is still making some unexpected choices for itself. Until we learn otherwise, players can still expect a physical disc in the base edition, but those who have already pre-ordered the special edition may be left with a bit of buyer’s remorse.
