Rumor Claims Target is Going to Stop Selling Physical Media

gamerant.com:

Target may be doing away with physical media for movies and video games next year, at least according to a new rumor. The discussion of whether or not physical releases still have a place in the gaming industry has only intensified in recent years, with most titles being made available to purchase digitally without having to ever step foot inside a brick-and-mortar retailer like Target. The advent of subscription gaming services like Xbox Game Pass has added a new wrinkle to the conversation, as gamers can now access an entire digital library of games for a fraction of the price of a single physical copy.

Even though physical copies of video games are still being sold, including collector’s editions with special bonuses like statues and artbooks, many customers gravitate toward their digital counterparts out of convenience. Both Sony and Microsoft offer disc-free versions of their PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series hardware, and there is speculation that the current console generation could be the last to offer physical releases. However, people like GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen have stressed the continued importance of physical media in the gaming industry, and there are plenty of gamers who still prefer discs to downloads.

These gamers might be in for some bad news, as a new rumor suggests that Target is phasing out its physical media sales. This rumor comes from Twitter user President Of Physical Media, who claims that inside sources told them that Target is looking to cease all physical media sales both in-store and online by 2025. This is by no means an official confirmation, but other users in the comment section have noted that the movies and gaming sections of their local Target stores have gotten smaller over the past few years, adding credence to the rumor.

If this rumor is true, then Target is only the latest retailer to begin phasing out physical media over the past few years. Last year, Best Buy announced its own plans to stop selling physical media, and Wal-Mart