Limited Run Games: There’s Still Demand For Physical Media, But Not In “Traditional Way”

Alena: Hello, I’m Alena, the VP of Marketing & Digital Publishing at Limited Run Games. I’ve been with Limited Run for a little over 3 years, but I’ve been working in video games for around 10. Right now, my role is very focused on LRG’s digital publishing efforts, the successful launch of our Carbon Engine, and the funding of new indie titles.

Alena: The Limited Run was started by Josh Fairhurst from want of preserving his own first indie game, Breach and Clear. The thought of not having anything physical to show for the hard work he and the developers put into the game, or worse yet, the game being inaccessible from digital store closure, is how LRG got started. Breach and Clear was LRG’s first game, and it sold out in under two hours. That proved that developers and consumers still had an appetite for physical media.

Alena: Physical game media certainly isn’t the end-all to video game preservation, but it is a key component. Limited Run has published thousands of physical games, and a large majority of those games wouldn’t exist physically if we hadn’t. Most of the heavy lifting of our preservation efforts comes from our carbon engine. VGHF states that around 87% of classic games are at risk of being endangered. With Carbone Engine, we’re taking classic titles, enhancing them, and releasing them for modern consoles — with a physical component, of course. We’re releasing games that never made it to North America, like River City Girls Zero, games that are rare and expensive, like Tomba, and games like Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection, which are difficult to play authentically without retro hardware.

Alena: It’s pretty much a mix of all of the above. While we do believe all games deserve to have a physical release, this is a business, and each game has to have some kind of physical demand. Sometimes, we’ll look at how rare the game is. Previously, if someone wanted to own and play Shantae (GBC) or Tomba! (PS1) They’d have to shell out hundreds of dollars for something that wasn’t even complete in the box. Those are two examples of great games that we thought people should be able to own for an affordable price and in a way that the original creators get paid for their hard work.

Alena: We absolutely know there’s still demand for physical media, but not in the traditional way. In a decade or so, I could see even more companies adopting the limited model. There will always be people who want to own their media without the risk of it being delisted or taken away. If we lose physical video games, we lose something very special.

Alena: There are a few reasons. With the rise of digital sales and the current state of big box retailers, it becomes less worth it for companies to do it the traditional way. If they can make a lot off of digital and not worry about excess inventory, manufacturing, costs, etc… Why would they go that route? This is why we’re seeing more companies partnering with us. Our model is the solution to those problems since we only print to demand, and we’re turn-key for them. After all the operation costs and fees it takes to sell at a traditional retailer, companies end up with very little for a lot of work. The games themselves cost a lot more to make than they did in the golden age of retail, so limited distribution is just an adaptation of where the market is now. In a lot of cases, it’s limited or nothing.

Alena: I think the above answers why the limited model is prevalent. We used to pre-manufacture a limited number of copies and sell them. A lot of fans missed out this way. With timed pre-orders, we can get it in the hands of everyone who buys while being able to start manufacturing within a reasonable timeframe. Reselling is a byproduct of anything limited; it’s not unique to video games. By opening our pre-orders, the goal is for everyone who wants a copy of a game to be able to get it at MSRP. We do sell leftover copies of our games in our retail store in Cary, North Carolina, at events like PAX, and on our website during our blowout sale.

Alena: We’re always gathering feedback online from various different places. We’ve made a lot of changes in the last few years based on our customer feedback. One thing we always try to do is include all possible content in our physical releases. This isn’t always possible for various reasons (i.e., sometimes the developer will decide to make DLC afterward), but it’s a high priority that we take seriously.

Alena: We’ve proudly hired top-tier engineering talent on Carbon Engine. Between Dimitris Giannakis (Modern Vintage Gamer) and Randy Linden, who are regarded as some of the top players in emulation and porting, we know the tech is in very good hands.

Alena: We want to thank everyone who supports physical media and us!