Destiny 2 is one of 2017's best selling games in its short time on the market, and according to Activision's most recent financial results briefing, more than half of those sales were digital downloads. It was previously leaked that the game had sold less than half that of its predecessor at launch on the physical front, but it appears as though it was more the result of a shift in how people bought the game and factoring in that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were no longer part of the ecosystem.
Activision Exec Eric Hirshberg said that "Destiny 2 is off to a strong start" and that the average revenue per user was up over Destiny 1 and called the digital download figure "a new high watermark" for the company.
Spencer Neumann offered some comparison statistics, noting that digital sales made up "about 20 to percent for Call of Duty and more in the 30 to 40 percent range for Destiny and Overwatch on console."
He added:
"Historically, we've been seeing that digital mix increase at about five points a year. With Destiny 2 digital at over 50 per cent console sell-through so far, we believe we're seeing some acceleration in that digital shift."
While we still have a ways to go before physical games are entirely obsolete, it's clear that the market, at least for certain games is trending in that direction. After all, digital games work well for everyone involved. They are convenient for the consumer, allowing them to play at the very second they unlock while being cheaper for the company, since they don't have to mass produce as many discs, and can still charge a premium for the product.
Now that Destiny 2 is available on PC exclusively as a digital download on Battle.net; you can expect an even wider margin in the very near future.
