Sorry Physical Fans! The New Like a Dragon May Be Digital Only on PS5, PS4 | Push Square

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Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name looks pretty awesome – after all, how can you not fall in love with a seemingly superhero Kazuma Kiryu, who appeared to use ethereal tethers to tackle thugs in the latest gameplay trailer. The one problem: it may be a digital-only release, with apparently no plans for a physical version.

While we’re still awaiting confirmation from SEGA – we’ve asked the publisher for comment, and will update if and when we get word back – fan channel Kamurocho Bros noted that it has “spoken to retailers that have reached out to SEGA” and has concluded there is “no physical ESRB version” of the game. Obviously, this only applies to the USA right now – there may be different plans in Europe.

None of this rules out the potential of a physical version launching later down the line, of course. SEGA has approximately three months to change its mind, or it could partner with a company like Limited Run to get boxed copies out into the wild. Of course, this is beginning to become a trend – the upcoming Alan Wake 2 will also not have a physical release as things stand.

Obviously, there’s still plenty of people who prefer to purchase boxed copies of games, but that doesn’t change the fact that digital sales are gradually beginning to overtake retail ones. There are still advantages to physical, of course: games can be displayed on shelves and retain resale value – but perhaps, in this instance, SEGA doesn’t believe the market is big enough for a retail release to justify the effort.

A true PlayStation veteran, Sammy's covered the world of PS gaming for years, with an enormous Trophy count to prove it. He also likes tennis games way more than you.

I’m sure this won’t bite them in the ass. It’s not