Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is getting a rare full physical release on PC

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to receive a rare full physical release on PC, a decision that is causing waves in the gaming industry. Sony's announcement to cease physical releases for the next PlayStation console has sparked a debate among industry professionals, with some advocating for the obsolescence of optical discs and others, including this reporter, determined to maintain their reliance on internal Blu-ray burners.

Despite this, a handful of prominent releases will still be available on disc, including the upcoming Tomb Raider remake, which will also be released on PC physically.

Amazon Game Studios has taken an unconventional approach with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis by planning a full physical release on PC. Although the specific optical format to be used remains undisclosed, preorders on Amazon strongly suggest an on-disc option. Physical releases are exceedingly uncommon in the current digital age, particularly on PC where Steam dominates the digital distribution market, leaving competitors like GOG.com and the Epic Games Store in the shadows.

The last notable on-disc release for PC was Flight Simulator 2020, which came in ten dual-layer DVDs. The term "full physical" used by Amazon indicates that the entire game will be accessible via disc. However, a day-one patch is anticipated to rectify any issues, including last-minute bug fixes. A recent survey revealed that numerous disc-based console games necessitate day-one downloads to function correctly.

The game's Steam page specifies a storage requirement of 80 GB on PC, which poses challenges for the physical release. Even after accounting for data compression algorithms and texture optimizations, such a demand would have significant implications. Typically, a dual-layer DVD-ROM can store up to 9.4 GB, while standard Blu-ray BD-ROM discs range from single-layer (25 GB) to dual-layer (50 GB).

The more advanced BDXL format, used for Ultra HD Blu-ray releases, can store up to 100 GB on a single translucent disc. Regardless of the format chosen, Amazon's upcoming PC release is generating considerable buzz among optical media enthusiasts. Sony has recently reaffirmed the trend towards digitalization, noting that users prefer discless games.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is reportedly developing a mechanism to facilitate the transition from disc-based to digital-only gaming, which comes with its own set of reliability concerns when networks experience downtime.