Doom: The Dark Ages physical edition requires full game download

The Doom Slayer is back, once again ready to slay demons and all other hell spawn in his path. But all is not well with the latest entry in the iconic game series—at least not for those who invested in the physical edition. It turns out the disc is essentially empty, functioning only as an installation key.

In other words, a full game download is required regardless of whether you bought it digitally or on disc. It's a practice that seems to be becoming increasingly common, especially with the upcoming Switch 2, where many cartridges are also expected to function solely as access keys.

"The physical edition of Doom The Dark Ages is basically a Switch 2 Key Card (without being on Switch 2). There is a little data on disc, but the majority needs to be downloaded and can't be played from the physical media alone."

Bethesda and id Software has yet to comment on why they chose to make the disc a mere key, but it clearly raises concerns for those who still value—and invest in—physical editions. What happens the day the game can no longer be downloaded from the servers?

What's your take on this?