Why Xbox players are left out of the most extravagant indie drop this year: The Blue Prince

I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed. Blue Prince, my favorite indie game of the year and the reason I had to stage my own personal intervention (see: I'm quitting Blue Prince before I go insane), has just announced a physical edition. And it's beautiful. Lavish. Obsessively detailed. Everything you'd expect from a game that made you stare at room layouts and wonder if the direction of those dining room chairs means something.

But alas, it's for PlayStation 5 only. Despite Blue Prince launching on Xbox Game Pass, and arguably making the platform have its strongest quarter in recent memory, alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — the physical release has completely skipped Xbox.

The Blue Prince Physical Collectors Edition in partnership with 'iam8bit' is available to pre-order now

To be clear, Xbox players can still buy some of the collector’s items separately. But the main bundle, the one that saves you money and wraps everything up in a nice package, is just for PS5. And I’m baffled (and sad).

Let’s talk about what’s inside these bundles, because it’s genuinely one of the most exciting physical drops I’ve ever seen.

There's a standard 'retail edition' which is just the PS5 game, with a fold-out 18”x12” poster of Mount Holly. The price of this is unannounced. Then there is the real juicy stuff:

• iam8bit Exclusive Edition ($34.99) - PS5 disc with exclusive O-sleeve, Fold-out poster, Day 1 pre-order includes digital soundtrack
• The Red Prince Picture Book ($29.99) - Hardbound, cloth-wrapped replica from the game, Illustrated by Maria Maydurova, 8.5” x 8.5” game-accurate dimensions
• Keychain Blind Bag Series 1 ($14.99) - One of twelve random replica keys, Crafted from in-game 3D models. Six Key Bundle guarantees six unique keys
• Basement Key Replica ($46.00) - 1:1 scale, high-quality metal, Velvet-cushioned box and acrylic display stand
• Mount Holly & Rogue Moon Pin Set ($19.99) - Premium hard enamel pins, High-quality backer card
• Mount Holly Estate Notebook ($19.99) - Faux-leather hardcover, Lined graph paper, Debossed crest cover
• Commissary Bundle ($149.99) - Includes the PS5 game, picture book, basement key, pin set, notebook, one blind bag keychain, and a $10 coupon "for future Blue Prince products"

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It's a collector's dream. The Basement Key alone is an eyewatering $46, but a full-scale replica of possibly the most important key in the game? At least for the money, it doesn't disappear from your inventory the next day. The blind bag keychains could have been as maddening as tracking down the Sanctum keys, but at least iam8bit has given us the option to purchase all 6 outright, which guarantees different keys.

I'm particularly intrigued by the offer of a $10 coupon for future Blue Prince items, which means further merchandise will be coming. Maybe a copy of the Blue Prince book or some ivory dice? There are a lot of in-game items to use for inspiration.

But again, no Xbox disc? I don't know the player numbers, but I'd like to think Game Pass helped with Blue Prince's breakout moment, even if it's the quintessential perfect Steam Deck game. Blue Prince even has a rocky history on PlayStation. There was a notorious bug that wiped people's save files when they were well over 100 in-game days into their playthrough. It was so severe that it was a running joke within the community, and it wasn't patched successfully until late May. Maybe this physical launch is an olive branch to the PlayStation audience?

I'm whining but I'm buying some of it anyway

Who knows, maybe Xbox will get a physical launch later on, especially if more items are being teased for the site. This could just be testing the waters for how hungry players are for a physical release. Either way, I'll still be grabbing some of the items.

I don't buy many physical games, and have pretty much embraced the future of a digital library. Still, for the games I really love, I do double and triple dip, often into physical editions just to get the goodies. I've done so with Balatro, Clair Obscur, and Diablo 4, so Dogubomb will be getting my money on this regardless. This game nearly broke my brain, and it's about to break my bank account.