If you can't beat 'em, join 'me. Or, at the very least, acknowledge the threat and maybe even embrace it as a positive thing.
As we all know, downloadable digital content has rapidly become more and more popular this generation and many analysts are expecting that eventually, most all video games will be delivered in this fashion. Obviously, for the world's #1 game retailer, which of course thrives on selling the physical game software, this could pose a huge problem. But GameStop COO J. Paul Raines actually says the advent of DLC is a "good thing," and that consumers should be educated on the issue. In speaking on a panel at the Game Business Law conference at Southern Methodist University, Raines said DLC "enhances and extends games" and that customers should remember that GameStop "does offer retail releases of some high-profile DLC." Raines wants everyone to become a little more schooled on the subject, which for many casual gamers still remains a bit of a mystery. Therefore, as "customer acquisition continues to be a huge part of the spend in this business," you can expect GameStop employees to be well versed in the available content on the PSN and XBLA. They'll be able to tell you what is online that can "enhance and extend" the game you just bought.
Lastly, Raines says that despite the lower-than-anticipated holiday figures, nobody is panicking at GameStop. "Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated," he said. "We'll release financials in a few weeks so you'll see if we're still in business." Well, yeah, I think they are.
Call me old fashioned, but I don't really like the DLC trend. If it goes that way completely for full games, then GameStop will go belly up.
I don't know why anyone would go out to a store, to basically buy a code to a game that you have to download on your console yourself. That whole process could be done directly from the comfort of your home.
Last edited by Hezzron on 2/1/2010 11:17:28 AM
haha totally agree with you there, I hate the fact that everything is becoming digital honestly. I like going to to buy my game or my movie, taking it out of it's package and start playing it.
But you're right, you can do it from the comfort of your own home, but everyone wants a piece of the pie you know?
The nostalgia feeling of opening up a brand new copy of a recently-purchased game will always win over the laziness of just downloading it.
Fear not Hez. The industry may want to go in this direction, but ultimately it we be up us, the customer, to determine how we receive our product.
Digital downloading of full games is still some years off as a dominant model. Internet speeds and storage capacity are the two roadblocks.
GameStop hailing the arrival of DLC games, makes them sound like they have a case of Stockholm syndrome.
It's not totally unheard of. Gamestop also sells PSN, XBLA, WoW, Habbo cards etc etc. How can you blame them for trying to get a handle on the market?
I like where they're going with this. It actually is a good idea. I mean for those new gamers who need help about additional content or wondering the whereabouts of the future of the game, it seems like a pretty interesting thing.
The only downside to this, however, is that they can tout their horn all they want, but this will only work if management decides to start hiring some more "qualified" and some more decent people who actually give a damn. I'm not saying every gamestop is like this, but there are 2 in the area where i live and they could care less. Just talking, doing there own thing, not caring about the customer at all. I mean to each their own, I don't need their help, but it would be nice to see some hospitality. Unfortunately all these young brats are starting to pollute everything. All they need is one good belt or one straight slap in the mouth, and that would set them straight, I know it helped me haha
But I do like the idea, if it were to work the way they mention, I find it a great commodity. But that's just me.
From experience, I can tell you that they are probably going to drill it into our heads until we hate DLC and make us all hate it more than broccoli.
right. even if there is someone helpful enough at gamestop to be informative about dlc, their only gonna tell me about it if its for the 360. i swear that place would gargle bill gates' piss if given the opportunity!
hahahahaha that was funny, definite thumbs up for that
When I pre-ordered White Knight Chronicles there, the girl behind the counter asked "For what system?"
I really thought WKC was a big deal. Is it really that far off everyone's radar? 🙁
-Arvis
I'm trying to change that, but I'm only one person…
@Arvis: Nah I get that all the time too whenever I buy the exclusive games for the PS3… the most recent being Demon Souls. Guess some employees just don't know any better *shrugs*
Much as I'd like to accuse GameStop/EB of pro-360 bias (which I've seen first-hand), it's probably just habit.
I know I have habits when I deal with "customers" that make me say things even when they don't suit the current situation.
GameStop needs to be in a hurry to work with publishers and console makers to change a few things about digital distribution. I don't think that they will ever be able to re-capture the used market with digital distribution. However I think that there are ways for them to continue.
The biggest thing they need to do is get publishers to make premium versions of games that can only be purchased through a retail channel not directly through the PSN/XBL. When buying a game is as easy as a click on a controller, GameStop must do something to attract customers back to the store.
This is where GameStop and the other retailers can work together with publishers to create premium packaging, such as box art, printed game manual, bonus pack-ins and of course 'premium' content only available if the game is purchased at retail. I already see retailers selling codes you can redeem at the PlayStation Store. That's nice, but to thrive in the future retailers need something more.
If we assume a completely digital future, let's imagine how it could work for retailers. A game like Gran Turismo would be an easy online purchase, so how do you get people into the store? How about a premium version with cars that are only available with the premium version of the game and are not even unlockable in the online version? How about a printed manual, a collectable box, or a die cast model of one of the special cars? I'd be happy to pay a little extra for all the additional stuff I could get, especially if I had a decent number of exclusive cars (or tracks) because I paid retail.
Trying to talk up being a great place to offer advice and knowledge about upcoming DLC is nice, but it doesn't replace revenue lost to online purchases.
Unless retailers do something people will think exactly as Hezzron73 suggests "I don't know why anyone would go out to a store, to basically buy a code to a game that you have to download on your console yourself. That whole process could be done directly from the comfort of your home.". Retailers have to have something extra to bring people back into their store to buy the game through them.
As always Highlander, great points.
You're right, if the consumer was enticed to purchase retail by means of additional content such as the ones you suggested, I would take that extra step in a retail purchase of the game.
I feel as we head further into the future, despite countless efforts by retailers, I think we will see the total shift into digital distribution. People love the idea of ease, and what's easier then clicking a button?
If this movement towards a digital future is how i see, I would even expect retailers, such as Gamestop to sell games digitally and even hardware (delivery). There are companies like this now, but as the future draws nearer, i think it will become inevitable.
Last edited by to_far_apart on 2/1/2010 11:51:16 AM
I see where you are going Highlander, but that's no different than what we have now.
If/when full digital downloads arrive, Gamestop is toast. Companies will not produce hard copies in the numbers to make retail stores profitable. Sure, they may continue to survive, but they will have to close up a good number of store fronts.
Companies want digital downloads for one reason–cost savings. Posting games on PSN saves them from desgining and printing a manual, buying cases, shipping the product, etc. That money will now go into their pockets as opposed to several other suppliers.
I personally do not think digital downloads will be a major player for quite sometime. There are some technical obstacles that make full implementation cumbersome and frustrating for consumers.
@Jaybiv
GameStop may go the way of most 'hobbyist' stores. If you have ever played a pencil/paper/dice role playing game you know that there are a small number of stores in the world that cater to this audience, they typically double up as comic stores, sell Warhammer and other figures, pieces for tabletop strategy & war games, science fiction/fantasy novels, posters and all manner of sci-fi/fantasy related memorabilia. When the big wave of digital distribution hits, this is where GameStop will go. The branches that are not closed will morph (or attempt to) into a Forbidden Planet style store. Not sure how successful they'll be. But the full arrival of digital download distribution is definitely an evolution moment for video game resellers.
Won't we just send our Surrogates to the store then?
Good graphic novel, bad movie adaptation.
Very true. The book was far better than the movie. But overall, it had some pretty decent moments, I didn't mind.
They are already stating to do stuff like this. Assassins Creed 2, LBP, and others that I cant remember right now. Buy it here, get this download code.
I dont know what they will do when full games are downloadable. I imagine they will keep selling preset money cards, or someting like the cards they sell for PSP games.
uh, yeah, to the same extent Fox news wants you to know about Politics; all one-sided and corporate serving. I mentioned this a few months back when I realized Gamestop had started giving much less on tradeins for new games and had started charging much more for used games and they've also managed to change their used games policy in such a way they have a rental business going on now after initially ripping off the original owner of the game on the cash trade-in. I asked the glassy-eyed clerk what they were gonna do when DLC took off as it as definitely going to kill off what has to be their biggest earner now; reselling (and renting (used games can be returned in one week for full store credit)) retail games.
They had Dragon Age used for $55 when i was in there this weekend and of course the card with the addon content code was gone from the package. the addon content is $15 so in that case the new game is a better deal as you get the code for the $15 addon for free. what a joke.
Fox News is more balanced than any other news organization.
So THEY say.
At my Gamestop, I can only return a used game for the exact same product. The rental service went bye bye. And Fox News is as balanced as a girl with one A cup and one D cup.
you make me laugh. you know so very little
worldendswithme, you make me laugh as well, you young kids are so naive. the world gets more sissyfied every generation.
I'm not a kid by a long shot.
Thrill Kill, I've found that pompous condescension is ALWAYS the best way to reason with people…
-Arvis
Thrill Kill: I can pretty much guarantee you're younger than most people here…just by the inane way you post.
balanced? I don't know what news you're watching, but the last thing they are is balanced. World put it best haha
I always check the games on the shelf for free DLC stuff. I've found a map pack in a used Halo Wars, extra map on Assassins Creed, and several free months of XBOX Live (Thanks GTA4!)
LOL. I thought politics were verboten on this site.
Anyway, whether or not you think FOX is fair and balanced depends on your politics; so, in all fairness, you FOX bashers are clearly, for the most part, probably liberals. And the Fox supporters are probably Republican. Therefore, we are all biased to the network that represents our views better.
Furthermore, can you really sit there with a straight face and tell me the other news outlets — CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, including Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman, etc… — are really any more fair and balanced than FOX?
When Bush was in office, it was bash Bush time… all the time. Now that Obama is in the White House, those same news outlets fawn over Obama, essentially pushing the agenda that he can do no wrong.
Anyway, can we please avoid politics on this site.
xxxxxxx
On topic! Great, now GameStopers can falsely claim this great new DLC is only available on the 360 so buy the 360 version.
I understand everybody's view on going to a brick and mortar to buy a physical hardcopy of a game.
But question for you all: If the future hottest games are downloadable a week in advance or at midnight and you don't have to stand in a 2 hour line or in the cold @ midnight, would you really go that route instead of chilling @ home, download and play? I say: DLC full games the sooner the better!!!!
do you really like calling stores to see if they have enough copies?
do you really like hunting for a NEW game from store to store?
if you have a basic DSL connection, would you like to wait for several hours or even days (on titles that use dual layer Blu-Ray) downloading?
Today with preorders and 4 different Gamestops within 5 miles of each other – as well as other retailers that sell games – it seems rather difficult to NOT find the game that you want.
If you know that there is a game coming out in 3 weeks that you want, then pre-order it. And if you don't like going to the store then you can have it shipped – just find a place with free shipping.
Mexgeo has a point of waiting for a download. But my problem is storage. My original PS3 would be filled up with just one game, and if you put all my PS3 games and my BluRays on MyBooks or the like then at 25-50 GB a pop we're going to need a couple TB in about 3 weeks.
I'm not a big fan of DLC, but I am a huge antagonist of downloading whole games.
physical media forever!
I have never had to wait in a line for any game. A person can always preorder too. And I would rather get a physical copy a week after everyone got their digimon version. Amazon even has day of release delivery if you want to avoid brick and mortar and still get a hard copy.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 2/1/2010 2:23:23 PM
I don't think the shift to digital is as fast or as big as people make it out to be from the perspective of game sizes and internet download speeds. At least for the US, most people don't have the fastest speeds as say Japan and Korea.
Also, given that games, or at least ps3 exclusives are making use of the Blu-Ray space, most people who want full digital titles will have to install additional hard drive space for the data and the backup.
Sure there's a change happening, but I don't think physical will ever go away.
Physical retail may never go away, but it may diminish to the point where a store devoted to selling games is no longer a viable model and it's left to Target and Wal-Mart to fill the void. Considering that they cannot stock as wide a range as even GameStop, that's not good because it will reduce gamer choice to whatever the retailer decides to stock. I think we already see this effect with WalMart influencing both platform and game sales by making particular platforms more prominent and by only carrying perhaps 40 games out of 100s available. Not all new releases are carried or even listed by WalMart or Target (or BestBuy, or…). So many people get their games through these big retailers, it's a tragedy when some games (Valkyria Chronicles) may never see a store shelf because they are perceived as a niche product. That of course immediately consigns such games into being a niche product since the majority of retail locations simply won't stock the game.
As much as I have (and will continue) to deride GameStop, they do provide a service that isn't matched by other big store retailers.
Good point; I had not considered the issue of overall availability. Yes, Gamestop does have more selection when compared to the big retailers but as mentioned by other members, some of our shopping experiences haven't been the best when going to Gamestop.
@ Highlander, the availability of games is one area where I can see digital downloads working. The game with less marketing backing, may choose to go this route to cut costs and increase market penetration.
Set it and forget it until download is finished. beats standing in midnight line and still not get a copy
You've been nerd enough to stand in line at midnight and still not get a copy of the game you're there for? The ugliest, fattest, no talent , pimple faced loser on earth can get before the judges on American Idol and sing through my damn TV, but you can't get a video game on day one? Buddy, you shop at the wrooooooong place.
If you are in a midnight line you are a sucker.
you would know worlds…just like your boyfriends midnight line. suck much?
*looks around*
Does anyone know what this guy's talking about?
I'm thinkin its a relationship gone bad. My guess WORLD knows…
@Alienange
It's one of those bogus 4 world replies that Ben mentioned earlier.
how many people really enjoy pre-order wait + midnight line?
is that better than download from comfort of your home while the rest of your life continues?