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

Did you know that Microsoft doesn't have a minimum order requirement for disc-based games to be manufactured? I didn't know either until I came across a recent discussion on social media posted by the developers of an upcoming indie JRPG.

For its Seed of Nostalgia Kickstarter drive, the developers listed physical editions for both PlayStation and Switch versions of the game. When asked why there wasn't a physical version for Xbox, the developers responded:

Seeing this, I felt for the developer. How awful must it have been to approach Microsoft and find out you need to go above and beyond to bring your physical media to gamers?

After some research, I discovered that Xbox had lowered this amount in 2023. What that amount was before, or what they lowered it to, is entirely unknown, as the article only stated "low minimum order quantity".

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

Danno Jackson of Gamer Social Club took it upon himself to investigate. In doing so, he discovered that there wasn't a minimum requirement for physical Xbox games.

Jackson was able to get a hold of Xbox directly, where they issued the following statement:

"Xbox has no minimum order quantity for physical media. Retailers, studios, and partners make their own decisions based on what they feel is best for their business and players."

"If a developer wants to make physical copies of their Xbox games, they should get in touch with us to learn how to get started."

Given the statement, it seems the developers were working on older information. Since then, I've followed up with the developer of Seeds of Nostalgia, asking if they had heard of the no minimum rule. So far, we've yet to hear back, but I'll update as soon as possible.

To throw another wrench in the mix, the developer of point-and-click indie adventure BROK the Investigator added this post on the COWCATGames X account in response to Microsoft not requiring a minimum order:

• "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."

So, while Xbox doesn't require a minimum number, it still comes down to a finite number of resources when ordering physical copies from manufacturers and their production chains.

Hopefully, this isn't the case for developers who simply misunderstood the lack of requirement from Xbox. Either way, you should check out the Seeds of Nostalgia Kickstarter project if you're a fan of old-school JRPGs — it looks incredible!