In a new post on social media, Marek Tyminski, the outspoken CI Games CEO (the team behind Lords of the Fallen), has suggested that studios can make almost double on digital sales compared to physical sales of their games. This follows a post from Tyminski stating that GTA 6 launching as a digital-only game will further accelerate the adoption of zero-disc releases.
He has been transparent about the figures, explaining that ‘physical delivers far less revenue per unit to developers.’
Studios Might Prefer Digital, And That’s a Good Thing
As someone who often reports on layoffs, canceled projects, and closed studios, anything that keeps higher profit margins rolling into these companies has me totally satisfied. Those defending the loss of discs because they like collecting them might not be considering the financial impact physical sales have on the bottom line for studios.
In a post on social media, Marek Tyminski, the CEO at CI Games, explained:
At $69.99, retail margin takes 25-35%, distributors another 10-20%, and physical production ~$10. That leaves studios with just over $26 per unit — compared to ~$49 on digital at highest margin.
It only gets worse as prices drop. Large publishers sit on the better side of the equation, but even they make significantly more per digital sale. From a pure ROI standpoint, the choice is obvious.
Hours before he said that, he also wrote:
Physical delivers far less revenue per unit to developers, longer lead times, and unnecessary costs in a demanding industry where many already lose money.
That said, Lords of the Fallen 2, which was recently pushed back to Q1 2027, will still launch on disc, because that’s the model – for now. As of January 2028, new PlayStation games won’t be released on disc, and we’re waiting to see if the rest of the industry will adopt or replicate that model in some way.
If gamers have their way, Sony won’t make that change at all. There’s a petition gathering traction right now, and it has over 120,000 signatures.
This has proven to be one of the most divisive weeks in gaming history. It has split the community straight down the middle, with one side of the fence showing utter dismay at the imminent death of the disc, while the other crowd is more that happy to lose physical copies, given that it’s already in the minority when it comes to sales figures.
Where do you sit in this debate? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Hideo Kojima has addressed the end of disc-based gaming, and for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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