Speaking with Fast Company, Microsoft’s Shane Kim reiterated that day-and-date releases for Xbox 360’s Games on Demand service are out of the question, at least for the time being. For publishers, he says, “it’s a great tool to reintroduce their franchises.”
But making digital downloads of Xbox 360 games available the same day they hit store shelves would require “a lot of work,” and potentially piss off Microsoft’s retail channels. However, Kim makes it sound like third-party publishers wouldn’t be restricted either way.
This sentiment matches a comment John Schappert made around the time of E3. He said that Games on Demand was specifically meant to target videogames no longer present on store shelves, not brand new releases.
Back then, it sounded as if such an operational expansion wouldn’t be impossible, and today’s news from Kim makes me think that this remains to be the case.
[Via CVG]
