GameStop CEO Sets Timetable For Ultimate Demise
As more and more gamers get their consoles online, one would think that brick and mortar stores that exclusively sell games might be a little worried about the big three moving to digital delivery methods. One would be incorrect according to GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo. To them it shouldn't be a problem for another decade or so.
While speaking with GameDaily on a number of subjects, the retail head honcho said that publishers' dreaded fear of piracy will hold them back from rushing into digital delivery exclusively and that not-fast-enough broadband connection speeds will keep players from jumping onto these services as well. Addressing the notion that avoiding physical disc pressing and shipping will save publishers money he adds:
Microsoft and Sony are the gatekeepers for their consoles. And if you're a third party that should scare the hell out of you because that's the only way to get to your customer. They'll take 10 to 15 percent. Video game publishers sell me games today for $48 wholesale. If they go direct to the customer they'll probably get about $30 for them. They'll get less for the game if they bypass retail...
These thoughts aren't without merit and have some good sense to them, but with Burnout Paradise headed to PSN shortly, consumers shelling out cash on services like Steam/Good Old Games, and the price of shipping rising with gas prices, I'm finding it hard to believe that it'll take too much longer before online sales become a major force to be reckoned with. In the case of my PC gaming habits, odd copy protection schemes and losing install an install disc or two have pushed me to go Steam powered exclusively. On the console front, I find myself sifting through online storefronts more often than my local GameStop.
What do you think? Will we ever see a day when disc based games are no more? How many games are you downloading now? Do you still prefer a physical copy or do you have no need for an instruction booklet? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Interview: GameStop's New CEO on the Evolving Video Game Business via 1up News
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Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany on 12 September 2008
· Comments (7)
Other stuff like this: crazy, digital downloads, future, gamestop, live, psn, steam, wiiware
My concern is that by downloading games, we lose our freedom to bring that game over to a friend's house.
Friends in meat-space are already obsolete. I'm kidding, but there is some truth to that. The amount of people who bring games over to a friends house is a surprisingly low percentage.
I think Dan is fooling himself. It won't take long before they're just a peripheral store. Steam started off rocky, but they've grown and proven themselves to be the best gamer-friendly retail option available. Steamworks makes the whole experience that much more appealing. It is only a matter of time before PSN and XBLA get their shit together.
I'm personally waiting keenly for the release of Socom: Confrontation and Burnout Paradise on the PSN because it is just nice to have games sitting on my HD rather than doing some antiquated dance to change discs.
I'll only use digital downloads if unlimited downloads/installs are part of the deal AND if they are significantly cheaper than the physical box/set. I'm somewhat of a collector, I guess, in that I find some value in being able to display my games.
As much as I find GameStop kinda skeezy in some ways, I also agree that giving console makers even more power to control distribution than they have now is probably not a good thing... not just for game publishers' bottom lines, but for our gaming options as well. Steam is all well and good, but the PC is an open platform. The only part of a console that's even close to being open is the disc slot on the front.
meh... there's something that always bothers me about a digital download game. Namely what if I completely hate the game, would rather return it, etc. etc. etc. With the 360 this isn't that bad of a situation since they usually give you a fairly good demo version to see if this is a game you'd get into. With the Wii however it's 'but now... buy!' and if you hate it... well ts.
I kind of like blizzard's system for their games now, register on their site, and you can download the game if you lose the disc later... course if you lost your CD key after what... 7 years, and about 5 yearly moves (grad student...), you're kind of screwed and have to buy the game anyways.
All in all, I prefer having the real game in hand, and like another poster unless there is a steep discount for a digital copy I'm sticking with the real game.
As a collector I am completely against the idea of media that is only available digitally, I would like a physical copy at all times. I want Megaman 9 so bad and it kills me to know that I will NEVER own a physical copy of that game.
I definitely like how Steam works, because it allows you to combine the personal security of a physical disc with the convenience of download-and-play. Type in the serial that came on your CD, and the game installs itself and runs whenever. It's fantastic. The only problem is I don't have any of their dumb first person shooters; the only games I have that are on Steam are the third parties and stuff like Luxor, which doesn't even use CD keys or any semblance of copy protection. If the philosophy and technology of Steam ever make it to EA, then I'll be set. I can not begin to express what a pain it is to re-install all fifteen thousand CDs of The Sims 2 + expansion / stuff packs, but EA's "DVD? What's that?", "it's been a week, so give us $20 for another six appliances you'll never use", and "pay us some money now; if the download works, mazel tov! If not, fuck you" policies just leave me no other options.