EA Begins to Stop Selling Physical Games in Europe

EA is gradually starting to stop selling physical games in Europe. As of May 2023, the American publisher will no longer sell physical copies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is not yet known if EA intends to follow this strategy in France.

that EA promised in August 2022 that it would continue to produce single-player games After an unfortunate post from him on social networks, The American publisher seems to be limited in offering physical versions of these titles. In fact, we just learned that EA has decided to restructure its local deals in several European countries.

How does that change anything? abstract, EA plans to phase out sales of physical copies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.. thereby, FIFA 23 And the next one Need unlimited speed These will be the last matches to be fought in these countries.

In an official press release published by our colleagues from specialist site Games Wirtschaft, EA announced that “No longer generates bundled product sales” In the above mentioned markets. The decision also comes after EA’s announcement to stop selling physical copies from its Origins store.

Physical sports are disappearing

However, EA’s stance on the matter is not surprising. In its annual report, the American publisher noted “The continued shift from physical products to digital downloads is negatively impacting revenue growth. A study published in July 2020 even proved it Dematerialized games hit records and far surpassed physical sales figures.

The report highlights that more than one in two games sold by Sony on PS4 are in digital format.. The observation was the same for EA and especially Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two. Therefore, for EA, it is inevitable that they will have to forego the sale of physical copies to compensate for the financial losses caused by these versions that do not find takers. “Company’s ability to develop and support digital products and services” Prioritize EA today.

Note that the US company is not the only one to make such a decision at the local level. We owe it to Activision Blizzard, Call of Duty licenses or Overwatch 2, Dissolved its German physical copy distribution subsidiary in May 2021. Nevertheless, the video game giant continues to deliver physical copies on the old continent through its European headquarters located in London.

Source: Decrador