Xbox confirms it has “no minimum order quantity” or print limits for physical games — but there are other considerations

by

I was surprised to learn, during my browsing through social media discussions, that Microsoft doesn’t impose a minimum order requirement for the manufacturing of disc-based games. That’s something I hadn’t been aware of before! It seems this information came from the developers of an upcoming indie JRPG.

In the Kickstarter campaign “Seed of Nostalgia,” the developers mentioned that they are offering physical copies for both the PlayStation and Switch variations of the game. When someone inquired about a physical edition for Xbox, the developers explained:

Regrettably, we can’t organize physical releases due to a requirement set by Microsoft that is beyond our reach. Unfortunately, their company policy seems to focus more on larger corporations rather than smaller or independent developers/publishers, making it difficult for us to meet their massive minimum order demands.

Upon viewing this situation, I empathized with the developer. It must have been disheartening to learn that they had to exert extra effort to make their physical game media compatible for gamers when dealing with Microsoft.

Upon my investigation, I uncovered that Xbox adjusted their minimum order quantity in the year 2023. The specifics regarding this figure before the change, or exactly how much it was reduced, remain a mystery, as the article merely mentioned a “lower minimum order quantity.

That doesn’t seem to quite fit with what the developers of Seed of Nostalgia had said.

Danno Jackson from the Gamer Social Club decided to look into the matter himself and found out that there is no set minimum requirement for physical Xbox games.

Jackson acquired an Xbox unit directly from them, and here’s the statement they provided: “There is no set minimum number of physical Xbox games that must be purchased. Retailers, studios, and partners decide independently what works best for their business and gamers.

If a game developer wishes to manufacture their Xbox games physically, they should reach out to us for guidance on starting the process. As of now, I have contacted the developers of Seeds of Nostalgia about this no minimum rule, but we are still awaiting their response. I’ll share any updates as soon as they become available.

As an ardent supporter, I’m sharing an exciting twist that just got tossed into the game of indie adventure development. The creator of BROK the Investigator, under the COWCATGames banner, took to their account to voice their thoughts on Microsoft’s decision to waive the minimum order requirement.

  • “True, I studied the possibility of doing a limited run of BROK on Xbox. But still too complex to handle by myself.”
  • “Xbox doesn’t [have a requirement], but factories still have minimum requirements.”
  • “Most publishers don’t do Xbox physicals because demand is low compared to other platforms.”

In essence, even though Xbox doesn’t specify a minimum quantity, there’s still a limited amount of resources available when you order physical copies directly from the manufacturers and their supply chains.

It’s unlikely that game developers intentionally overlooked the Xbox’s specifications. Regardless, I recommend checking out the Seeds of Nostalgia Kickstarter campaign if you appreciate classic Japanese role-playing games; it appears to be truly remarkable!

Read More

2025-05-08 13:41