Limited Run Games has announced it has entered an official partnership with Xbox. The new relationship between the two companies should see the production of physical versions and collector's editions of video games that don't otherwise exist in the physical realm.
Limited Run Games is a publisher specializing in the release of digital video games on physical media, with indie and retro titles as its biggest focus. The company recently announced its multiple collector's editions for Castlevania Anniversary Collection, with The Ultimate Edition including retro box art prints, steelbook, soundtrack, and plenty of other exclusive goodies.
Limited Run Games co-founders Douglas Bogart and Josh Fairhurst recently spoke on a podcast about the apparent lack of Xbox titles the company has produced thus far. The pair reveal that the company has been partnered with Xbox since last year, but the paperwork logistics have taken a longer-than-expected amount of time because "Xbox wants us to do certain things first." The company hopes to get everything sorted out sooner than later so that they can "really start going full steam ahead with Xbox soon."
The Limited Run Games founders go on to talk about how "weird" it is Xbox wasn't included during releases from Bethesda and Double Fine - both now first-party Microsoft companies - and that it's currently "one of [its] big, initial initiatives."
As cloud gaming and other similar service continue to rise in accessibility and popularity, so does the percentage of strictly digital game ownership. However, just as there is a steadfast music community of those who prefer vinyl over digital, part of the gaming community's desire for physical media remains as strong as ever. In fact, Limited Run Games just celebrated an impressive sales milestone earlier this year of over 2.5 million physical games sold, proving physical gaming merch is still a viable and desirable format.
Source: Pure Xbox