Xbox touts Halo: Campaign Evolved's physical disc after Sony and Rockstar ditched them

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Microsoft is using the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved will offer a physical game disc in its box as a selling point.

On social media, and in a blog post offering answers to frequently asked questions, Microsoft leads with the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved's physical edition will include a game disc in its box.

Weeks ago, this simple fact would have seemed obvious — but now, following a seismic one-two punch from GTA 6 developer Rockstar and PS5 manufacturer Sony, the video gaming landscape has been forever altered — and it is now a point that apparently needs clarification.

In a post on X/Twitter overnight, Microsoft's official Xbox account posted a bullet point list of features discussed in a new Q&A. Top of that list? "Physical discs," followed by details of the game's Machinima mode, handheld optimization and classic-feeling physics.

Within the Q&A blog post itself, the query about having a game disc is also top of the list:

Q: If I buy Halo: Campaign Evolved at a retail store, will there be a disc in the box?

A: Yes! Buying the Xbox or PlayStation version of Halo: Campaign Evolved at your local retailer will result in getting the physical game case and disc so that you have tangible items to add to your collection.

Of course, all of this follows Rockstar's announcement that GTA 6 will be offered in a physical version that simply contains a download code in its box . The company has not expanded on its reasons for doing this, though analysts have pointed to numerous upsides for the developer, such as total control over when players will first be able to access the game, and improved profit margins due not needing to pay for discs.

After GTA 6 went disc-less, Marvel's Wolverine developer Insomniac responded to a fan on social media who asked if the physical version of Wolverine was, like Rockstar's game, just a code in the box — with the question now top of mind following Rockstar’s shock decision not to sell GTA 6 on disc at launch.

Then, earlier this week, Rockstar's bombshell was followed by PlayStation's megaton announcement that it will ditch discs for new games beginning in January 2028, though Sony is already beginning to adjust its workforce in preparation . Again, this topic has been left for analysts to explain in more detail, though there's broad agreement that this move again reflects a need to cut costs, and respond to falling physical game sales generally.

While Xbox (like Sony) is believed to be preparing a disc-less next-generation console in the shape of Project Helix, the company has so far made no comment on if (or when) it will also ditch physical media. Though, to be frank, Xbox would likely do well to hold off that announcement for as long as possible as a point of differentiation between the console brands — and to avoid tanking sentiment further amid preparation for a devastating round of staff cuts.

Of course, Halo: Campaign Evolved is the long-awaited remake of the first Halo game's story mode, originally launched back in 2001. 25 years later, the release is designed to celebrate the anniversary of Halo and the Xbox brand — even if the game will also be the first in the series to launch on PlayStation.

Will future Halo games launch on PlayStation too? This is less clear. While Microsoft certainly hasn't ended its multiplatform game release strategy (and seems unlikely to ever do so), the new Xbox regime led by Asha Sharma has begun earmarking a couple of games (currently one a year) as console exclusives. It's likely that Master Chief's future on Sony consoles will be informed by Halo: Campaign Evolved sales — something that Xbox seems to be trying to boost further by stating it's arriving on a disc.

Perhaps the more important question now is, will Halo: Campaign Evolved be the last Halo game to launch on a disc?

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social