Summary
- Digital purchases nowadays account for the vast majority of Capcom's game sales.
- Capcom still isn't giving up on physical game releases, having said as much during a recent shareholder meeting.
- Be that as it may, Capcom's recent publishing activity suggests that most of its future physical releases will be reserved for AAA titles.
Capcom has no intention of giving up on physical game releases, the company said. And while this confirmation is bound to be seen as good news by the publisher's fans who fancy themselves game collectors, Capcom's physical sales aren't exactly looking too good nowadays.
That issue is hardly unique to the Japanese gaming giant, as physical game sales have largely been declining since the aughts. Their digital counterparts have nowadays grown to the point that publishers are actively cutting back on physical releases, which was most recently reflected in the report of Microsoft laying off its Xbox retail team.
Nintendo Remaining Committed to Physical Game Sales
In the face of an increasingly digital industry, Nintendo confirms it intends to continue support for physical video game sales.
Capcom Reiterates Commitment to Physical Game Releases
Capcom, for its part, isn't planning any such major changes in the foreseeable future. A company representative suggested as much during the group's latest general shareholder meeting held in late June 2024. According to a newly published transcript of the event, the gathering saw Capcom reiterate its commitment to physical game releases, not least because the company sees "a significant number of end users" continue to demand such products.
Future Capcom Physical Releases Might Be AAA-Only
Although the publisher did not elaborate on the matter any further, its newly restated dedication to physical media does not appear to be unconditional. One doesn't need to look too hard for evidence of that being the case, as it was only a few days ago that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was released as a digital-only title. Capcom hasn't given any indication that it ever plans to treat that particular game to a physical release. It hence seems plausible that its physical retail commitment will primarily apply to the publisher's AAA titles moving forward.
Capcom's Physical Game Sales Are on a Sharp Decline
Such an approach tracks with the current state of the global gaming industry, whose revenue has been largely driven by digital purchases for a while now. In Capcom's case, its physical game sales have been declining since its fiscal year 2022, when they amounted to just 10.6% of the group's total consumer sales. That share further dropped to 9.9% during the company's following fiscal year, which concluded in March 2024. As for the currently ongoing period, Capcom estimates that physical releases will account for only 6.8% of its total game sales in FY24.
Capcom Physical vs. Digital Game Sales Ratio History
|
Fiscal Year |
Physical Sales |
Digital Sales |
|---|---|---|
|
2019 |
19.4% |
80.6% |
|
2020 |
23.1% |
76.9% |
|
2021 |
24.5% |
75.5% |
|
2022 |
10.6% |
89.4% |
|
2023 |
9.9% |
90.1% |
|
2024 (forecast) |
6.8% |
93.2% |
And though the company isn't planning to give up on physical releases for the time being, it remains to be seen what its near-future retail strategy will actually look like. Its distribution strategy could definitely have some variety, as underlined by the fact that the recently announced Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is getting a geographically limited physical release; consumers in North America will only be able to buy a boxed copy of the game for the Switch, whereas its European physical release will be limited to the PlayStation version.
- Date Founded
- June 11, 1983
- Headquarters
- Osaka, Osaka, Japan
- CEO
- Kenzo Tsujimoto
- Subsidiaries
- Capcom Taiwan, Capcom U.S.A., Capcom Vancouver, Capcom Division 1, Capcom Production Studio 4, Capcom Production Studio 1, Capcom Production Studio 2, Capcom Production Studio 3, Capcom Maintenance Service Co., Ltd.
- Known For
- Resident Evil, Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Street Fighter, Dead Rising