There will come a point, whether it is two or three years from now, when we say. ‘We are doing more in digital media now than we are in physical media,’ and it’s clearly not far away.
A report from the NPD Group called Online Gaming 2012 has offered some insight into consumer behaviour. In a sample, as shown by the pie chart, 35% of gamers said they would purchase digital copies if they had the opportunity to do so. The results are pretty interesting.
Personally, if offered the same price, I’d go physical due to the artwork etc. from the box art. However, if 35% are willing to do this despite a same price, imagine how many more would be willing to if the digital copy was cheaper (which it should be).
Nintendo’s Digital Pricing Strategy
Nintendo recently announced a push in the digital space, but their pricing scheme doesn’t necessarily incentivise it.
Wii U Games Downloadable at Launch
Nintendo have confirmed that retail games will be downloadable for the Wii U at launch.
We’ll absolutely take advantage of whatever the policies will let us do with the platform from the standpoint of providing digital content.
I think it’s a bit dangerous to only have one digital distribution platform like Steam. I love Valve, but out of principle, I find the idea of one platform a bit scary.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD Coming Next Year
After rumours of a Tony Hawk announcement at the Spike Video Game Awards, the man himself has revealed that the classic Tony Hawk Pro Skater will release in HD digitally.
The packaged goods business, while still flourishing and strong, eventually – as we’ve seen in music and movies – will go to the cloud.
Origin Opens Digital Doors to Third Parties
EA’s digital distribution service Origin is to open its doors to third party PC games. The service will offer games such as Batman: Arkham City and Saints Row: The Third this November.
