RSS Feeds
industry news
Rein: Big Publishers Will Run Digital Distribution, Too
Posted by Luke Plunkett at 7:30 PM on May 15, 2008
Has digital distribution made games cheaper? Uh, no. But lots of people thought it would. That's not the only myth surrounding the digital delivery of games: the idea persists that selling your games online will be a way to get around the dominance currently enjoyed by big publishers in the bricks-n-mortar retail sector. Well, according to Mark Rein, that's all a load of codswallop:
Digital distribution is not a replacement for a publisher...They'll be paying for marketing just like they do for positioning in a store. The big publishers are going to own the front of those online stores.Were I a small-time developer, that would be terribly depressing, but since I'm not, I will admit it does sound like a fairly predictable scenario.
Some Publisher Contracts "Borderline Illegal" [Next-Gen]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Demaar
Posted 7:59 PM 15/5/08
loled at the tag. If he means "you'll still need a publisher in this new digital world", I disagree. If he means "it'll still be greatly beneficial to have a publisher", then I agree.
It all comes down to the size of the budget and how much marketing the title will need to earn a profit. I mean, there are plenty of games out there that get enough coverage to do fine from word of mouth alone...
Demaar
OneManFreakShow
Posted 7:51 PM 15/5/08
Eh, I never cared for digital distribution. I would much rather have a real copy of the game. I'm not so lazy as to not want to get out and buy a game. The only real advantage is that things will never sell out.
That said, I've spend well over $300 in VC games.
OneManFreakShow
KirbySS
Posted 7:48 PM 15/5/08
I still love that Chocolate Rein tag.
KirbySS
Balius
Posted 8:07 PM 15/5/08
Advertising exists now, separately from production. Unless the big developers are planning on squeezing all available space for advertising for themselves and driving prices way up, a purely digital distribution takes away most of the cost of production (and the risk, since a flopped game won't be taking up space in warehouses and a game that hits much larger than expected won't need to worry about running out of copies) and doesn't change the price of advertising.
Sure, it's not toppling the system, the big guys aren't suddenly going to be on the bottom while indie developers are striking rich, but it makes it easier for the market that wants the games by the little guys to get them, and makes it easier for the little guys to put something out there. The smaller publishers get a boost, even if the larger ones aren't taking a hit.
Balius
Evil Jim
Posted 8:07 PM 15/5/08
Irrelevant to the article at hand but I just saw the big change.
HEY KOTAKU! I'm boycotting your guttertrash sponsor & blocking their ads!
Evil Jim
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
Posted 8:49 PM 15/5/08
It won't strangle independent games by a long shot. You can still run your indie game online service side by side with the big boys, it's just a matter of staying in the public eye.
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
ItsHammerTime
Posted 8:28 PM 15/5/08
@Evil Jim:
Lol, did your father beat you when he got drunk or what?
ItsHammerTime
KM91
Posted 9:43 PM 15/5/08
It will probably be a viable option in the future.
KM91
KroKan
Posted 9:33 PM 15/5/08
You mean: "Big Publishers Will RUIN Digital Distribution, Too"
KroKan
jp182
Posted 10:56 PM 15/5/08
@ItsHammerTime: he has a point, the ads are a bit much and alittle all over the place.
jp182
jp182
Posted 10:56 PM 15/5/08
@OneManFreakShow: well some people like not having more useless boxes and cd/dvd cases to deal with. it's all very wasteful and always has been.
Have you seen a DS game case and then looked at the DS game? Really Nintendo, what the f-
jp182
Fyren
Posted 11:19 PM 15/5/08
@jp182: Unless you are the one writing the checks and feeding editor's family. I do not care for ads as long as the substance of the site is unchanged.
Digital Distriubtion is more of a convenience then revolution. This is why even "major" publishers often offer their products through their own bandwidth.
Fyren