With Sony sure to shut down the last remaining Vita game card production line next year, the last act of any Vita publisher or developer is to make as much revenue as possible from their games, with a captive and niche audience willing to pay.
So, we're now in the strange world where Nicole (already sold out) and Death Tales (coming soon) are physical-only exclusives, with no PSN version for the rest of us to snap up, and with more titles likely to follow suit.
UPDATED: And now we know why, Sony is removing access to Vita (and PS3) games from the web and mobile stores. Leaving the native device apps as the only way to find games, and since Sony hasn't updated the UK Vita store in about six months, or highlights sales, its likely they won't start adding the few new games now. That means physical releases make more sense in terms of value and Sony ignoring developers and publishers who have found great success on these formats.
I would happily buy a physical-only game, if it appealed enough, I'm up for Death Tales, but Nicole didn't really grab (and it sold out pretty quickly). Your own budget, ownership needs and mileage may vary. What I do wonder is, where this trend will end up?
The bigger angle is, if there's enough money to be made, will pressure on Sony help keep the card production line open for a while longer? Will physical versions get a bit more impressive, beyond the typical audio CD and manual, to make the package more compelling? Probably not, but it'd be cool if publishers got a little more creative.
And, on the reverse side, if the costs of getting on PSN (ratings costs being a recent issue) for low-selling games, can Sony make further changes to attract and keep smaller developers who might easily be tempted by the XBox/PC play-anywhere campaign.
As an aside, I've picked up or pre-ordered enough physical copies that I won't open just to support the developers. Like I play most music on Spotify, but buy the albums (mostly CDs, the odd vinyl, even though I don't have a record player) as they're what make the artists some money. So, please support the developers where you can, and maybe, just maybe Vita physicals can continue a little longer.
