For the majority of time in this industry, games have been largely distributed by retailers. But with the rise of digital distribution and a focus of downloadable games, music and movies, how long will that last? Will games in boxes become a thing of the past? What will this do to retailers who thrive on one sort of product? Will GameStop go the way of Borders? Are we advocating for simple convenience at the detriment of jobs? Can there be a middle ground? These are questions that are being asked in the 21st century and will grow more prevalent as time goes on.
Just as iTunes is the largest outlet for music and films, Valve’s Steam service is one of the most widely used video game download services. Steam is Valve’s digital distribution service and is famous for some incredible deals that border on theft. With the high success of Steam, Electronic Arts and GameStop have adopted their own digital download service, Origin and Impulse. While the latter two are in their infancy, this shows a growing trend of video games turning into a digital download-only service. Even Microsoft and Sony have their own digital download services even though the prices of said games are not to the customer’s liking.
What brought on this discussion was one analyst’s prediction of the recently announced Grand Theft Auto 5. “Newzoo CEO Peter Warman believes the game will still appear on store shelves, but won't include a disc in the package. "The boxed GTA V version will contain a collectible piece of merchandise and a download code. No disc. There are a lot of reasons why publishers are pushing towards digital distribution of triple A games. Speaking out loud might harm the relationship with retail partners, but the benefits have become too large to remain silent about the desire to go completely digital.”
I think if any one developer is going to start a trend, it is Rockstar studios. Their season pass for downloadable content in L.A. Noire was quickly applied to other games released this year and will continue into the coming years. If Warman is correct in his predictions, then this is the perfect type of set-up that gives developers and retailers the same relationship yet with different results. Although, I wonder how much memory space I will have for all the high-profile games I end up playing as an avid gamer.
Leave a comment below with your opinions of the rise of digital media and distribution.
