In the beginning

If today the phenomenon of collector's editions is well rooted in the head of all players, whether through pre -order goodies (Steelbook, Magnet, key door etc.) or more massive editions containing Artbook And impressive figurines, the boxes were the basis filled with content for other reasons than rarity.

It was initially a question of Transcend technical limitations Games of the time adding, for example, a manual giving context to the game, see explaining his scenario.

It was also a question of doing Live the game outside of your original screen, to give it a palpable aspect, easily explained to the neophytes of technology.

Finally, it could be a stratagem to add a Game anti -power system. The most famous example is that of Monkey Island (1988). When the game is launched, the latter requests a password, password that you can get thanks to a cardboard wheel present in the game box. Enough to limit the pirate copies of floppy disks.

The pioneer

If the first collector's edition referenced today is that of Myst From 1993, the latter only contained screens savering and a mouse carpet that has aged to say the least.

We will therefore make a little historical sprain and consider that the first representative of this movement is Wing order 3.

Blockbuster of his time with $ 4 million budget, this game by Chris Roberts (Freelancer, Star Citizen) competes the cinema with the casting Mark Hamill (Star Wars) or Malcom McDowell (Mechanical Orange) but also sequences in Full Motion Video which plunge the player as close as possible to history.

And for the collector's edition the Roberts team takes out heavy artillery with a T-shirt of the game, a Making-of on VHS, a calendar Wing Commander, a book, there soundtrack on CD, all in a box replying the 35 mm reels boxes.

And today?

In 2003, when Valve released a small software baptized "Steam"To simplify the updates to Counter Strike, the world does not suspect that the industry is taking a decisive turn.

When a year later Half-Life 2 Requires Steam to function, always no awareness of the industry. A year later, the advent of the Xbox 360 coupled to the fact that Steam offers for sale, and in dematerialized third -party games, is aware of the world that Physical game may be a relic of the past.

Today, we consider that 5 % of players, all platforms combined, still buy games in physical format. If the Nintendo switch is a last bulwark of dematerialization at all costs, the observation is final: The game in a box is now a niche phenomenon.

As vinyl survived the CD then at MP3, cinema with VOD platforms and bookstores with readers, box games is still there and today and Publishers must now offer added value for their players.