Capcom shrugs at physical game decline — 90% of its sales are already digital

Capcom's response to the shrinking physical game market was about as relaxed as it gets. When an investor asked during the company's latest quarterly earnings Q&A what impact the decline of physical media would have in the medium to long term, Capcom's full answer was: "Approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital. We do not anticipate a significant impact at this time."

The context makes that confidence easier to understand. Capcom reported net sales up 54.7% over Q1 2025, ordinary profit up 81.1%, and game unit sales up 68% year-on-year. Pragmata, the company's new IP, exceeded sales expectations and has moved 2.5 million copies. Resident Evil Requiem crossed 8 million sales. The financial filing itself doubles down on the digital-first direction, explicitly framing growth around "ongoing enhancement of digital sales" and the Digital Contents business. With numbers like these, it's hard to argue the current strategy isn't working.

The broader backdrop is Sony's announcement that PlayStation will go fully disc-free by 2028 — a move that's drawn significant backlash from consumers and prompted responses from publishers across the industry. Sega has already said it believes a digital shift is "crucial" to the industry's longevity. Capcom's shrug lands in the same camp, even if it's more matter-of-fact than evangelical about it. The concern for players is real: physical games are consistently cheaper at retail than their digital equivalents, and Sony has also been experimenting with dynamic pricing in ways that have raised legal questions in the EU. The 10% of Capcom's sales that are still physical aren't nothing — but the company clearly isn't losing sleep over them.

Capcom heads into the rest of 2026 with Onimusha: Way of the Sword still on the slate, a release the company quietly moved earlier — citing development progress and "market environment," which many read as a nod to GTA 6's looming release window. For now, the publisher's goodwill with players remains high, and its financials back up the calm. Whether that 10% physical slice quietly disappears or becomes a point of friction with fans remains to be seen.