Neither Ubisoft or Square Enix are participating in XBOX’s Disc to Digital program, users has discovered, amid the ongoing physical vs digital battle in the industry.
After Sony announced discs will no longer be used for PlayStation games beyond 2028, Microsoft took a different approach and launched the disc to digital program, allowing users to benefit from XBOX’s digital features, all while retaining the benefits of a physical disc.
The program was launched to XBOX Insiders on August 31, with a full rollout expected in future, but those testing have noticed that some big publishers are not involved.
Ubisoft & Square Enix Digital Licenses Unavailable
Posts on X and Reddit have documented Ubisoft skipping the feature and, when inserting a disc for a Ubisoft title into an XBOX, players are met with a message stating ‘Digital license unavailable,’ adding that ‘this game is not participating in digital licensing.
Square Enix seems to have made the same decision, with users reporting the same pop-up when attempting to access the program on one of its titles, and unconfirmed rumors have suggested other big-name developers will also opt out.
Neither Ubisoft or Square Enix have commented on the absence of disc to digital support on XBOX and, given that more titles will be supported by the program in the future, it doesn’t necessarily mean the door is shut permanently.
However, it does raise discussions about the downsides of the program, especially if it’s unclear which games are supported and which aren’t when purchasing.
Are you a fan of Microsoft’s disc to digital program on XBOX? Let us know in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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