Limited Run Games Apologizes for CD-R Discs After Fan Outcry, Says It's Working on Pressed Disc Solution

[Taylor Lyles]

Limited Run Games, the company known for selling limited, special-edition quantities of physical video games, has issued an apology after fans complained that they were having issues playing the physical re-release of the game D on the original 3DO game console.


Several on X/Twitter and Reddit pointed out the problems, including X/Twitter user @ToddNerdCave, who noted that the company is putting the 3DO games on CD-Recordable (CD-R) instead of pressed discs. "They won't even work on real hardware," he added.

lol @LimitedRunGames is shipping out 3DO games on CDR (rather than pressed discs) and the best part: they won’t even work on real hardware. pic.twitter.com/WRJDd6JW94

— Todd Gill - Retro Frog (@ToddsNerdCave) May 1, 2024

For those unaware of the difference between CD-R and pressed discs, the former are blank discs that can record data using a CD burner. At the same time, the latter has data permanently encoded and is used for commercial releases of physical media, including movies and video games. Pricing and scarcity of these products aside, Limited Run Games' decision to use CD-R over pressed discs is an issue regarding compatibility, as older devices with optical drives might have issues reading CD-Rs.

Another user on X/Twitter pointed out the absurdity of Limited Run Games' choice, calling out that the company is charging more than $60 for a limited physical release, "yet they're burning CD-Rs for some of the disc-based titles."

In a statement sent to IGN, a Limited Run Games spokesperson acknowledged that "some of [its] customers have experienced issues" when trying to play D: The Collector's Edition on the original 3DO console. They apologize to those experiencing the issues, pledging to work with "new partners to find a solution" to get pressed discs to replace the CD-R discs customers received and noting that future 3DO games would not enter production "until this issue has been fully resolved."

You can read the full statement from Limited Run Games below.

We’ve been made aware that some of our customers have experienced issues when trying to play our release of D: The Collector’s Edition on original 3DO hardware. Firstly, we would like to apologize unreservedly to all who have purchased the game and experienced an issue. At Limited Run Games, the quality of our products is paramount to us, we care deeply about our loyal community, and it is clear on this occasion we have fallen short of the high standards we set for ourselves.

Manufacturing games for hardware that is 30+ years old presents a variety of challenges. We partner with one of the biggest disc replication providers in North America to press our physical discs and despite researching original 3DO hardware and software extensively, we found quality and reliability issues when attempting to press 3DO discs in the traditional manner. In an attempt to offer full compatibility with original hardware, our disc replication partner was able to successfully manufacture the discs using a CD-R format, which we believed would work across all commercially available 3DO systems. This process was professionally done and was used to ensure maximum compatibility rather than serve as a cost-cutting exercise.

We tested the discs on the 3DO consoles in our office and all five discs from the game worked as expected. It was only upon shipping to our customers that we came to realise that some users were experiencing difficulty. We will not be selling or shipping further copies of this game, or any future 3DO titles until the situation has been resolved.

We are currently working with new partners to find a solution for traditionally pressed discs and will offer replacement discs to all customers. We will keep customers updated as this progresses, but in the meantime, any customer who desires can request a full refund at www.limitedrungames.com/support.

Please be reassured that D: The Collector’s Edition is the only game affected by this issue. Further 3DO titles will not go into production until this issue has been fully resolved, and we are confident in full compatibility.

Apologies again to our 3DO gamers, we will strive to do better.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.