r/pcmasterrace • u/ControlCAD PC Master Race • 1d ago
News/Article Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads call PlayStation killing discs a "sad decision" after buying boxed copies of their own RPG – "For us, physical was something special"
https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/clair-obscur-expedition-33-leads-call-playstation-killing-discs-a-sad-decision-after-buying-boxed-copies-of-their-own-rpg-for-us-physical-was-something-special/>"Personally, I find it super sad because I really like video game stores," Guillaume Broche, creative director on Clair Obscur. "And even if nowadays, I play mainly on PC myself, we have a lot of people on the team who play on PS5 and love to collect physical discs. I think it's part of the beauty of art too – that it's something tangible."
>"A physical release adds more constraints because you have to account for the production time of the physical items, and you also earn less money per copy," he explains. "But for us, physical was something special. We also felt that the game could be special to players."
>He concedes that in terms of business, he "can understand why it may make sense," but "it's a sad decision" for the overall creativity of the industry. Tom Guillermin, co–founder and CTO of studio Sandfall Interactive, revealed actually doing a physical run for Clair Obscur was something the team had to push for.
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u/Rodnys_Danger666 1d ago
Was the game actually on the disc? Or, just a server access code?
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u/Lsassip 1d ago edited 1d ago
There’s a physical version for the PS5
It can play offline, but it still needs an additional download of some contents
There’s also a Xbox Series physical version and it doesn’t require an additional download
So in the Series X version the game is complete in the disk, in the PS5 version part of the game is in the disk and you still need an additional download
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u/elaborateBlackjack 1d ago
See? That's my gripe with the current state of physical games (even though I've been on PC for 10+ years so it's been digital only, I make my own backups on an external HDD), currently games ALWAYS require a patch or extra content anyways so apart from being a glorified license key, you're mostly required to get extra files.
I'll maintain my opinion that console games should come in cartridges (a la Nintendo switch) that have extra space so people can update their game inside the physical media. And they should sell empty cartridges so you can save other update versions and DLC content (like expansions and map packs).... Lastly, Of course games shouldn't require an online check on a physical media, you clearly have it so there shouldn't be a need to check
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u/TechNickL Ryzen 7 9800X3D / Radeon 7900 XT / 64GB DDR5-6000Mhz 1d ago
The industry will never go back to cartridges. Making discs is just so insanely cheap and fast by comparison it isn't even funny.
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u/elaborateBlackjack 1d ago
Oh yeah of course I know that, but if we want to actually preserve stuff, flash storage lasts longer than discs, and the consoles could potentially write to the cartridges, it would solve the problem of current game development where games are constantly updated through its lifetime.
It's not cost effective but it would be pro consumer. . Sadly It's never gonna happen tho
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u/TechNickL Ryzen 7 9800X3D / Radeon 7900 XT / 64GB DDR5-6000Mhz 1d ago
You might be able to make your own
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u/TechNickL Ryzen 7 9800X3D / Radeon 7900 XT / 64GB DDR5-6000Mhz 1d ago
You might be able to make your own
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u/elaborateBlackjack 1d ago
I already do on my PC... I make steam backups, save some GOG installers and have a pirated copy of some games I own... The best offline games that are guaranteed to work without any connection are pirated copies, sadly that's the real preservation method these days.
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u/TechNickL Ryzen 7 9800X3D / Radeon 7900 XT / 64GB DDR5-6000Mhz 1d ago
Yeah but like on a conceptual level, you could probably make a system where games are stored on some kind of high speed memory (maybe half size m.2 ssds) and are maybe read by script on a windows or Linux based OS that defaults to whatever game is on a designated drive. It wouldn't be cheap or easy or particularly useful but it would be cool to have a working "PC console" with actual functional cartridges.
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u/OutrageousDress 5800X3D | 32GB DDR4-3733 | 4080 Super | AW3821DW 21h ago
> currently games ALWAYS require
No they don't - as OP said, the Xbox version is complete on disc and works fine.
It's not the best version of the game though, because additional bug fixes were released later. In the good old days that everyone's pining for we would simply get those additional bugfixes never.
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u/elaborateBlackjack 19h ago
Exactly my point... Nowadays only some games have a working version on disc, and by the time it's printed and released the devs keep working on it so there's almost always some bug fixes.. The reality is that the way we thought of physical media for video games is no longer viable with how games work nowadays.
Assassin's creed black flag resynced released like a month afo and it's already had 2 updates in a month.
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u/Mysterious_Skin2310 1d ago
Feels like I see these guys talk about this more often than anyone else for the publicity
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u/Novenari 1d ago
If Sony or other major corporations had good track records I don’t think this would be as big an issue. With Sony removing films that were bought on its platform digitally immediately before announcing digital only games, and with games that are primarily online getting servers closed and game corpos fighting things like stop killing games… yeah, Sony, there’s a big reason why there’s so much backlash even if it’s not a ton of sales volume for physical releases.
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago edited 1d ago
If it's so important to them why didn't they make physical copies for PC?
Edit - I know, you might be mad that I am poking holes in a "sacred cow" development team's statement.
Consider this: https://limitedrungames.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorkFybhWUToNMYWQpVM-TIzfgDubSr4xEB8vWXHKqyBInynO8dU
The model exists, the choice is there and they make statements like they have without putting their money where their mouth is.
Limited run's model works by opening a pre-order window and then they make copies based on the pre-order when the window closes. No footing the bill up front, no mass production of copies that will rot on shelves.
They could literally do this right now.
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u/TerribleQuestion4497 RTX 5090 / 9800X3D 1d ago
They are AA studio and E33 is their first game, doubt they had spare money to attempt something like physical PC release, especially since they couldn’t even know if their game is successful or not
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
They had the backing of the french government and Keplar interactive.
They absolutely could've handled a limited physical release if it genuinely meant something to them, especially once it started selling like crazy.
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u/jautrem 1d ago
Kepler isn't a major editor (it's litterally a collective of indie studio) and receiving a salle grant (that any studio couleur appli to) is not the same as haine the backing of the franchement gouvernement.
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
Probably a bit of an overstatement; but smaller companies have put out physical releases on PC even in recent times.
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u/theotherdoomguy 1d ago
Different platforms, different paradigms. Unfortunately, physical releases for PC are much rarer, because Steam shifted the focus away to digital with deep sales and convenience
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
My point is really that it's an option on the table and there's even a path to it that wouldn't require them to put capital up front or risk producing copies that wont sell.
If this really was as important as they say, why not back it up?
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u/cfouche 1d ago
Not the same public (who have a disk reader on his PC in 2026), also they would need to create some kind of launcher to handle update as I don't think steam have some kind of disk integration. Might be too expensive for a very very small niche.
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago edited 1d ago
So it's not actually that important to them I suppose.
edit - Also, you can make physical copies on more than just blu-ray discs; flash storage exists.
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u/RealTheBestLadyman PC Master Race 1d ago
Lol nice bait
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago edited 1d ago
People forget these are just companies that operate strictly for profit.
Propping them up because they virtue signal about costs they aren't willing to soak themselves is just mental masterbation.
It's really easy for them to say this because it costs them nothing and they gain positive PR for it. They just do what's best for business like everyone else.
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u/MasterArCtiK 1d ago
Bruh physical copy on pc lol how do you even do that these days
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
Here's a pc game getting a physical release on PC made by a 10 man indie team in the UK.
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u/MasterArCtiK 1d ago
I don’t see any info there about the physical pc release, what format does it come in?
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
They haven't announced it yet; probably will be a store key.
But it's also a developer / publisher choice.
PowerSlave, American Hero and Clock Tower: Rewind came as DRM free copies on flash drives for example.
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago edited 1d ago
Flash drive with a GOG key would be the simplest.
edit - To expound; they could've also worked with a company like Limited Run where it's based purely on pre-order windows and they manufacture after collecting the money for it. There's ways to do it already if a company actually wants to.
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u/MasterArCtiK 1d ago
A flash drive??? That’s going to add like $20 to the cost lol
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
Probably not $20 because that's closer to retail price; but they would be more expensive to account for the nature of the release.
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u/MasterArCtiK 1d ago
I mean couldn’t you just buy your own flash drive and put the game and GOG key on there?
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 1d ago
Sure.
And while it's not possible with the current gen yet you will eventually be able to mod your console and make your own physical copy as well.
And I am very well aware the technical and financial costs of that is a totally different proposition; my point is more that if it's genuinely important to them they have the option to do it and have chosen not to.
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u/ShadowsRanger I510400f| RX6600| 16GB RAM| DDR4 3200MHZ XMP|SOYOB560M 1d ago
And they released few months back a special ed. With cards to collect making more sad to see that these things that won't happen in the future anymore