Talking Point: Are Indie Devs Bringing Back the Budget Boxed Game?

Why the hell not. Making physical editions of their games gives them a bit of publicity in game shops, so it's a good way to gain exposure - plus it gives an incentive for collectors and fans of the game

Growing up, I spent most of my paper round money on 'Budget' games. These were usually on sale in my local toy/music shop and were sold on cassettes. The one developer I remember the most was 'Codemasters' and these games cost £2-3. The big games cost £10-12 and were not 'often' available in my local shop.

I think it would be good to have 'budget' games available in a physical format. For younger gamers, its easier to buy with 'pocket money' than buying digitally. Not only that, we could see better prices for them too and like AAA games, likely to drop in price over time too. I do find it bizarre that a 2-3yr old AAA game can be purchased for less than a similar aged 'indie'. I think that maybe more people would buy physical releases knowing that they could trade if the game isn't for them. Its easier to buy physical for gifts too.

I'd love to buy more physical indie games if they weren't so damn expensive compared to the digital versions. On digital PC stores you can get these games for almost nothing, especially if you count bundles.

Anyone else used to read Roger Frames buys budget games ?

To me, physical games always seem more important, so my ps store or xbox store vouchers just kinda get wasted every christmas. As for indie games, im only a 17 year old teenager so i can only manage to buy about 6-7 games a year, so i don't tend to buy indie games as AAA games have always been more important to me, as i don't have the finance (or time) to play very many games.

Growing up, typically the bargain bin (called the 'sports bin' amongst my friends) wasn't necessarily full of BAD games, just old games. I remember getting a ton of really good games really cheap. Rarely my friends and I would buy a new game, finish it up, and then trade it for several older games at funcoland or gamecrazy.

That said, we were still playing AAA and high budget third party games...I don't think the indie model would work with a physical release in most cases (unless they are big bundles for medium prices).

I used to buy budget games in tesco for 2 quid on the eighties. Some were as good as the AAA. Retail indie games I see now are at least 5 quid more than from the PSN store and are usually released way after, so I'll stick to buying indie games online.

For the price that they will charge I'd rather pick up a aaa game that I missed first time round, second hand and probably cheaper.

I've alway preferred physical games, but this gen I'm slowly starting to prefer digital. Only 5 of my PS4 games are physical and honestly I wish I owned them digitally instead.
I just can't help but want a physical case on my shelf for my favorite games. But I think I'm starting to get over it.

I miss Woolworths Like Record Shops they were part of my youth but sadly all gone now. But saying that eBay and Amazon you can get some bargains sometimes and I have saved Sh*t loads of money since the Internet began

I'm starting to hate indies thanks to how overexposed they are in PS+

Regardless of where we are headed, as of now, there is value in having a physical product as it serves as a signal of legitimacy (not true for PC however). The titles getting physical releases like this all tend to fall on the more popular or well known side, and are using a physical release to signal that they have grown to a certain statute. There is also the added benefit in having a physical copy can now have you listed on most online stores (not all sell codes and even if they do, not for everything).

That's really cool more indie games are getting boxed releases. I've always much preferred buying games as physical entities and the fact indie developers are actively promoting boxed games and trying hard to release games at retail is great. The boxed B-games or double A games market has been disappearing since the start of generation seven of the consoles, so hopefully more games like Rocket League come to our shelves to springboard those sort of games back into the market. And when indie games get popular and more money is pumped into them, they become the middle ground games themselves, and to see them on the shelves as a common entity again would be very good.

I can see all 50 or so of my PS4 games at a single glance on a shelf. Not scrolling through a list a few at a time. I waited months for Wolfenstein: The Old blood to come to disk. I really wanted that game day one. i would also guess Retail disk buyers purchase more games then Digital Only buyers.

Physical releases over digital any day.
I bought gianna sisters when I realised that it had a physical release, imported shadow of the beast and devil may cry 4 to have the physical releases and just recently got oddworld new and tasty from limited run. Next on the list will definitely be super meat boy that game is crazy fun.... because it drives you crazy but you will have fun with it 😊

@get2sammyb [SHUDDERS]

Still, physical releases every time, only exceptions to that for me have been FFVII and the odd double fine game to try and support them.