Xbox’s disc-to-digital beta currently cannot give certain physical games from Square Enix, Ubisoft, Sega, and Bandai Namco a digital license. That leaves major series including Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Assassin’s Creed, Yakuza, and Elden Ring outside a feature designed to let disc owners keep playing without the disc in the drive.
Available reporting identifies the affected games as unable to accept the entitlement at this stage, but it does not establish formal opt-outs by those publishers. The restriction is an operational limit on the digital-license redemption, while the physical games remain playable with their discs inserted.
Ubisoft games have returned the message, “This game is not participating in digital licensing. You can still play with the disc inserted.”
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Separate reports point to the same restriction for Sega, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco games. That leaves Elden Ring and other FromSoftware releases outside the program for now, with Sekiro identified as the exception because it was published by Activision.
Xbox’s beta began reaching Insiders on Aug. 31. With a compatible Xbox One or Xbox Series X disc inserted, players can answer the console’s prompt to claim a digital entitlement. The license can then be used without keeping the disc in the drive, and it can transfer to a new owner if the physical game is sold. That also gives owners of a disc-free Xbox Series S a way to access supported physical releases.
Publisher participation is deciding which discs work
The growing list of exclusions shows that owning a compatible disc is not enough on its own. Publisher participation is also required, which limits the beta’s use as a preservation tool when entire catalogs are left out.
Early compatibility results showed why the feature attracted attention in the first place. An earlier look at the beta found support for delisted games including Deadpool, Transformers: Devastation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan, Rock Band 4, and LEGO Dimensions. Players still need to own the physical disc to create the license, and a successful conversion does not return the game to the Xbox Store for new purchases.
Xbox Play Anywhere does not close the PC access gap
Physical copies also do not grant the PC version through Xbox Play Anywhere. Someone who owns a disc and wants to play on PC would still need to buy a separate digital copy. The disc-to-digital feature could narrow that gap, but only for participating games.
Because the feature remains in beta, its compatibility list may change before a wider release. For now, owners of unsupported Ubisoft, Sega, Square Enix, or Bandai Namco discs cannot use the program to create a new digital license, even when other delisted games are working.
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