Quick Read
Resident Evil: Requiem physical PlayStation sales reached 1.3 million copies, according to Alinea Analytics.Physical PlayStation revenue outpaced total Xbox sales (physical and digital combined) by 1.8x.Japan and France recorded physical sales shares exceeding 50 percent for the title.Sony plans to end PlayStation disc manufacturing by January 2028 despite community backlash.
Physical Sales Outstrip Entire Xbox Revenue
Physical disc sales for Capcom’s Resident Evil: Requiem on PlayStation consoles have generated more revenue than all digital and physical versions of the game combined on Xbox, according to a new report by Eurogamer citing Alinea Analytics analyst Rhys Elliot. The figures indicate that physical PlayStation sales alone accounted for 1.3 million copies, representing 15 percent of the game’s total sales volume and roughly 30.2 percent of its revenue on PlayStation platforms.
The data highlights a distinct divergence in platform performance, with physical copies on PlayStation yielding 1.8 times more revenue than the entire Xbox ecosystem managed across both physical and digital formats. While major publishers like Capcom have increasingly emphasized a digital-first approach—noting in recent financial earnings that roughly 90 percent of its overall unit sales are digital—physical media continues to maintain a substantial foothold in specific single-player markets.
Regional Disparities and Cultural Factors
The strength of physical media varies dramatically by geography. Ampere Analytics data cited by GamingBolt shows that only 22 percent of Resident Evil: Requiem players in the United States purchased physical copies. In contrast, international markets showed significantly higher physical preference, with France recording over 55 percent physical sales, Japan at 51 percent, Australia at 43 percent, and the United Kingdom at 40 percent.
Analysts attribute Japan’s enduring physical market to cultural preferences surrounding ownership and local buying habits, where first-party PlayStation titles and Japanese-centric releases frequently see higher physical turnover. For example, titles such as Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword recorded physical sales shares of 44 percent and 44.1 percent respectively.
Industry Backlash and the Discless Transition
These robust physical figures arrive as Sony faces mounting community criticism over its announced strategy to phase out PlayStation disc production by January 2028. Sony CFO Lin Tao defended the decision during a recent earnings Q&A, stating that the enterprise-wide shift toward digital content is progressing across all media types. Company leadership acknowledged strong consumer pushback, with PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi recently remarking that physical discs have become a metaphor for ownership and that consumer upset is largely a mentality issue.
Despite antitrust lawsuits and concerns regarding the elimination of the secondary games market—where platform holders like Sony collect a 30 percent cut of digital transactions—corporate leadership maintains that the transition will proceed. Capcom, meanwhile, has stated it does not anticipate a significant long-term business impact from the 2028 deadline, noting that the success of Resident Evil: Requiem has successfully lifted legacy catalog sales across the franchise.
Follow-up Questions
How will the 2028 disc production deadline affect game preservation and the secondhand market?
Critics and antitrust advocates argue that an all-digital shift will eliminate the physical secondhand market, though Sony maintains that broader digital adoption justifies the transition
What remains unclear: It remains unclear what specific remedies regulators might pursue regarding digital-only platform distribution
Will other console manufacturers follow Sony’s decision to phase out physical media?
Competitors have not announced comparable timelines for ending disc production, and regional preferences in markets like Japan continue to support physical media demand
What remains unclear: Long-term hardware strategies from Nintendo and Microsoft regarding optical drives are still unconfirmed
Perspectives
Sony Corporate View · Capcom Business Perspective
Story lens
Sony Corporate View
Sony leadership maintains that digital adoption across content types justifies the planned 2028 phaseout of PlayStation disc production, despite acknowledged community criticism and strong consumer feedback
Capcom Business Perspective
Capcom reports that while 90 percent of its unit sales are digital, the strong physical performance of Resident Evil: Requiem in overseas regions has created a virtuous sales cycle for past franchise remakes
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Contributor:Azat TV Editorial
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Publisher:Azat TV