While digital distribution maintains a dominant position across the gaming industry, physical copies of Resident Evil Requiem continue to generate impressive sales numbers internationally. Market performance metrics covering the game's initial six months reveal a sharp contrast in purchasing habits depending on the region. As the ninth mainline entry in the survival horror franchise and the first to launch simultaneously across PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox platforms, its commercial success has already prompted Capcom to confirm post-launch story content. However, with Resident Evil Code: Veronica scheduled to arrive in 2027, rumors suggest the planned expansion for Requiem may not land until after that release.


Data compiled by Ampere Analysis and highlighted by The Game Business co-founder Christopher Dring underscores how vastly player preferences differ by territory. In the United States, physical media accounted for only 22 percent of total sales through June 2026. Conversely, boxed copies claimed a 55 percent majority in France and reached 51 percent in Japan. The format also maintained a substantial footprint in Australia and the United Kingdom, capturing 43 percent and 40 percent of total units sold, respectively.


The strong physical performance outside the US comes despite the higher overhead costs associated with manufacturing, printing, and shipping physical discs and cartridges. While digital storefronts take a percentage of sales, manufacturing physical media incurs licensing and distribution fees that can reduce publisher profit margins significantly compared to digital downloads. Despite these added expenses, physical sales in countries like France and Japan provided a massive revenue stream for Capcom, proving that physical media adoption moves at very different speeds around the world.


The contrast becomes even clearer when compared to broader industry trends reported by other major publishers. Square Enix revealed in its Q1 financial reports that digital downloads accounted for 90 percent of its total software sales globally between April 1 and June 30, 2026. Out of 7.38 million units sold during that timeframe, Square Enix moved roughly 6.65 million digital downloads compared to just 730,000 physical boxed copies.


Industry rumors suggest PlayStation may shift toward an all-digital strategy by 2028, making the international resilience of physical games like Resident Evil Requiem particularly noteworthy. While digital storefronts remain the primary driver of revenue worldwide, global consumer demand indicates that a significant portion of the audience is not ready to abandon tangible media just yet.