Battlefield 1 will be digital-only on PC in North America

Direct your attention to Amazon and you will notice that the PC version of Battlefield 1 is tagged with the notation “No Disc.” Go to GameStop and you'll see the same thing: The only purchase option available to PC owners is a download. That's because, as EA confirmed today, the PC release in North America will only be available digitally. 

“Here in North America, there will be a PC box version that you can buy in stores that will have a code in the box and no disc,” a rep said. “If you buy that same PC box version Internationally, some countries will offer a disc inside.” 

That applies to the standard edition of the game; the “Early Enlister” Deluxe Edition will be exclusively online. And if you had hopes of throwing money (a lot of money) at the “Exclusive Collector's Edition,” which comes with a 14-inch statue, a deck of cards, a cloth poster, a patch, and a messenger pigeon tube with DLC crammed inside, you're out of luck too: It's only being released for consoles. 

It's obviously not great for people with slow connections and/or tight data caps, but the reality is that digital exclusivity is only a small step removed from what's already the norm for major releases: Get the disc, pop it in, and then download most of the game from Steam anyway. Pity about the Collector's Edition, though. I bet that pigeon tube is going to be seriously swanky. 

Battlefield 1 is set to come out on October 21.
 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.