Xbox's Games On Demand Release Titles

[JPetrillo]

Makes no sense to me. That's just weird. Their Retail games cost the same as they do in America, don't they? Like if they go to a store to buy a game... the cost of that game is equal (after conversion) to our cost here in America, no?

[VA1N]

Some games cost more over sea's but they are usually within 10 bucks or so after exchange rate.

This whole thing just boggles my mind. They are basically throwing on a convenience fee for old games people either already have, or didn't buy because they didn't want it that much. These games are meant to be cheap because they have been out for a while. That's the beauty of "greatest hit" titles. You pick up games you passed on initially at a cheaper price point.

[VA1N]

Needed to correct this post. I previously said Saints Row 2 was being released...it's not Saints Row 2, it's Saints Row 1. Still a really good game, but not as good as 2. And Saints Row 1 is really old...almost as old as the console itself. I thought they were making ground by releasing 2 but it appears not.

[JayMac743]

Anyone wanna bet that ALL retail games WILL NOT be be available for download when they're released???

People standing in line for games is FREE marketing! Not to mention I'm sure all the retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Gamestop, etc would be fuming if the games were released online. Not to mention they sell more then just video games for microsoft. I could see them being released for download 1-3 months after their in store release but not immediately.

I could see them releasing titles that are not as "big" online, but games like Modern Warfare 3, Halo 4, and GTA V might only be released in stores initially.

Just my .02$

[VA1N]

Originally Posted by JayMac743

Anyone wanna bet that ALL retail games WILL NOT be be available for download when they're released???

People standing in line for games is FREE marketing! Not to mention I'm sure all the retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Gamestop, etc would be fuming if the games were released online. Not to mention they sell more then just video games for microsoft. I could see them being released for download 1-3 months after their in store release but not immediately.

I could see them releasing titles that are not as "big" online, but games like Modern Warfare 3, Halo 4, and GTA V might only be released in stores initially.

Just my .02$

You are 100% correct. Again, I'm pulling out my advertising background to support an argument, but display is a big word in the world of advertising. In the online world, it's how many times you see an ad (an impression). Advertisers pay big bucks to have you see their ads. Just showing an ad all day on a big name website costs upwards of 300K. If games are released online on day 1, you won't be taking that trip to the store, you won't be seeing other games available, and you won't be hearing human testimony (which is one of the most reliable sources of advertisement).

The reason PC games are available online on day 1 is mainly because of Valve. Valve have steam and a lot of people buy their games from Steam. Other PC developers saw this and had no choice but to offer their games this way. Besides, when was the last time you bought a PC game from Gamestop...better yet, when was the last time you saw a PC game in a Gamestop (some around me don't even sell PC games...maybe Spore and Sims 3, but not much else.) The Steam argument was a "if you can't beat them, join them." You won't see this on consoles. PSP Games are going completely digital, but the last I checked, PSP sales aren't doing too well. This will undoubtedly increase sales...but it was a last ditch effort.

Saints Row 2 came out about 10 months ago. It's sold most of what it's going to sell, so theres no biggie about offering it up digitally. I'd say the best you're going to see on games on demand is about 4 months after release. Maybe if the game is a big stinker, sooner, but not by much.

[JayMac743]

I feel smart for having the advertising/marketing guru above me agreeing with what I'm saying

mama always said great minds think alike

[JPetrillo]

Yeah, you two definitely bring up a good point, but I still think eventually all retail games will be available for download same day as release date.

Do you really think Microsoft cares if they make GameStop mad? People will still walk into those stores to buy games, just not as many. Not everyone will/can buy online for download, so there will still be a (small) need for retail games to be available for purchase inside a store. People will also still rent games as well.

But more importantly, going digital (like anything else) will save Microsoft money. Microsoft is a company that's in business to make money. Going digital will be less costly to them and they know it. If this puts other stores out of business, so what? Really, what does Microsoft care? If anything, this would mean less piracy that Microsoft needs to worry about, further increasing their revenue.

Look, certain things change/evolve over time. Microsoft has no choice but to do this, it's just the direction that we're headed in. Stores like GameStop will also need to change the way they do business and evolve with the rest of us if they want to stay in business!

VA1N, everything you spoke about, like going into a store in person to see advertisements, to see other games, and speak with humans I agree with, BUT stop and take a look at the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for a minute. It's the SAME thing, only digital! They even have the advertisements right there on your Xbox 360 dashboard now! Not to mention, its a million times easier than getting up and going to a store.

And about talking to a human... who needs to talk to a human anymore? I mean maybe we do, but more importantly, take a look at the younger generation (what Microsoft is looking at)... They text message each other more than they talk to each other!

It was just announced yesterday that the bank I work for just joined Twitter and Facebook I mean seriously, companies NEED to go digital or they're just not going to be around for long. And the more digital they are, the better.

[VA1N]

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

Yeah, you two definitely bring up a good point, but I still think eventually all retail games will be available for download same day as release date.

Do you really think Microsoft cares if they make GameStop mad? People will still walk into those stores to buy games, just not as many. Not everyone will/can buy online for download, so there will still be a (small) need for retail games to be available for purchase inside a store. People will also still rent games as well.

But more importantly, going digital (like anything else) will save Microsoft money. Microsoft is a company that's in business to make money. Going digital will be less costly to them and they know it. If this puts other stores out of business, so what? Really, what does Microsoft care? If anything, this would mean less piracy that Microsoft needs to worry about, further increasing their revenue.

Look, certain things change/evolve over time. Microsoft has no choice but to do this, it's just the direction that we're headed in. Stores like GameStop will also need to change the way they do business and evolve with the rest of us if they want to stay in business!

VA1N, everything you spoke about, like going into a store in person to see advertisements, to see other games, and speak with humans I agree with, BUT stop and take a look at the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for a minute. It's the SAME thing, only digital! They even have the advertisements right there on your Xbox 360 dashboard now! Not to mention, its a million times easier than getting up and going to a store.

And about talking to a human... who needs to talk to a human anymore? I mean maybe we do, but more importantly, take a look at the younger generation (what Microsoft is looking at)... They text message each other more than they talk to each other!

It was just announced yesterday that the bank I work for just joined Twitter and Facebook I mean seriously, companies NEED to go digital or they're just not going to be around for long. And the more digital they are, the better.

Yeah, I can see both sides of the argument. To play devil's advocate, another reason we might see full digital is to avoid gamestop's used game sales and how none go to the developers.

Microsoft already came out on record saying that the technology to release games digitally on day 1 just isn't there. I can't see how that would be a problem but maybe they are just stalling. Hard Drives are going to have to get a lot bigger before people will go straight to hard drive with their games. I would imagine the price would need to drop a little. If I'm paying 60 bucks, I want a case and a manual...maybe a little map or something also. I won't buy it digitally if it's the same price and I know I am missing out on something. On the other hand, if they knock 5-10 bucks off the price to compensate, I'd buy it...hell yeah I would. Who knows, maybe Amazon will jump on the bandwagon and offer their sale prices for stuff like that. It's not too far fetched.

Before the industry goes entirely digital though, Gamestop is going to offer the game developers lots of money NOT to go digital. For every game that goes digital is a sale GameCrazy, GoGames, Best Buy, Gamestop (etc. etc. etc.) aren't selling. They won't go down without a fight. You can bet on that.

[JPetrillo]

Yup, it'll be interesting to see what happens!

Just FYI if anyone didn't already know this, you can now go directly onto the Xbox LIVE Marketplace via your PC, find the game title you're looking for and be able to download the entire official manual for any game.

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