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GameStop isn't afraid of digital distribution photo

GameStop vice president Tony Bartel doesn’t see downloadable glames as a “threat” – especially the full games available on consoles. In an interview with Gamespot, Bartel said that 95 percent of games downloaded on PCs are casual games, while only “about 2 percent of the entire console market is downloaded today.” He also added that the digital sales on consoles are growing at a lesser rate than boxed product.

In short, Bartel is convinced that GameStop can survive this latest publisher-to-consumer fad. Especially if one considers that the vast majority of transactions via Xbox Live or PlayStation Network are things like Horse Armor or map packs, not games.

The thing that has always gotten me about digital distribution is that there still aren’t many valid portability options. Physical is always nice because there’s a possibility that you may want to take it somewhere, or use it as commemoration of your 60 dollar purchase.

[via Kotaku]


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17 comments | showing # 1 to 17

Zombutler's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 17:21
Zombutler
Isn't that what the detachable HDD is for?
ChronosWing's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 17:25
ChronosWing
Meh 90% of the time I will always choose boxed product, but I do love me some steam discount weekends. Valve products I usually get off steam as well unless there is an awesome boxed copy like the half-life 2 collector's edition. Which when I think about it that collector's edition was shit... $80 for a t-shirt and half-life source... woopdy doo...
BS3 Owner's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 17:39
BS3 Owner
Comcast <3's M$ & H8's Gamstop!
RJG's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 17:57
RJG
Internets are only going to get faster and eventually it will be cheaper to maintain a server than to ship a physical product.

Personally I prefer DD via Steam because it gives me access to a whole lot of good stuff at once, while being a cheaper optio in Australia ($70 for Left 4 Dead via Steam, $100 via retail, lolwot).

DD on a console is just stupid though. What happens when the hardware cycle ends? No backwards compatibility with your downloaded games? No ability to transfer them to the next console?

Sucks.
falinter's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 18:23
falinter
yep i doubt i will ever fully commit to downloadable retail games for a console, too much control over my shit = angry face falinter.
RonBurgandy2010's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 18:54
RonBurgandy2010
People will want a physical copy whenever possible. So GameStop has nothing to worry about.
TewDee's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 19:53
TewDee
RonBurgandy2010 - I would love to never have to buy a disc ever again and use Steam whenever possible.
moocow21's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 20:15
moocow21
"Bartel said that 95 percent of games downloaded on PCs are casual games" -- For some reason, I find that to be extremely dubious...

As far as I'm concerned, digital distribution has won me over with Steam. I see absolutely no advantage to buying at retail - have unnecessary physical garbage (box, disc, etc.), it's often more expensive (Steam has fantastic deals, no online sales tax in my state, and no shipping/gas to travel costs), and just way less convenient.

Now all I need is MS to start committing to digital distribution on 360 (and release some decent priced hard drives or release their stranglehold and let third party drives work)and I'd be more than willing to switch over on consoles too. I could care less about "having a physical box," I'll I want is to be able to enjoy the game.
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 22:58
Wedge
Just wait till the next generation of consoles, the industry has EVERY reason to want to move further towards DD, and I gurantee the next consoles will be furthering that. Also there are a lot more downloaded games on PC that aren't "casual", but Steam doesn't release sales numbers ;P.
CaptainApocalypse's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 23:32
CaptainApocalypse
The following is why I think they're liars:


Jetsetlemming's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/28/2008 01:57
Jetsetlemming
Define "casual", because I've got a feeling that in order to claim 95% you're going to have to define TF2 and L4D and WoW and such as casual. Popcap and Newgrounds do NOT have a 95% marketshare.
amx70s's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/28/2008 02:25
amx70s
Remember kids, you can't trade in your downloads :D
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/28/2008 04:15
Too Much Coffee Man
yea, lets see what they say when we start seeing solid state matrix storage and internet 2 level connections.
Clarke's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/28/2008 08:01
Clarke
DD is really only a concern for the PC market but seeing as the PC game section in stores is decreasing more and more they obviously don't give a shit. There's not much of a downloadable game market on the consoles due to smaller HDD and smaller downloadable game selection.
moominsean's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/28/2008 10:58
moominsean
i wouldn't trust them to distribute anything digitally to me. when i bought the last castlevania ds game, i was supposed to get a code to download the soundtrack... they knew nothing about it at the store. nothing at all. if they can't handle something that simple, i'm sure as hell not giving them money for downloadable games.
elysse's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/29/2008 17:20
elysse
I loves having physical media, because of it's +1 in peen-flexing when there are guests.....even though I don't actually *have* a peen... it's my freudian satisfaction to have a better physical collection than my adversari^H^H^H^H^H^HFriends.
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