New Games on Demand?

Yesterday I talked about the new dashboard and Games on Demand and how great the idea is. The real question is, will games be released digitally when released in retail stores? The answer is no, or at least not yet. In an interview with Fast Company, Microsoft's Shane Kim said:

"There are a lot of complex issues to deal with here, especially if you start talking about day-and-date release with retail availability--which is not something that we're talking about at all, today. And publishers have to do some technical work in order to enable this. There will be decisions that publishers have to make from a business standpoint. But when it comes to us saying we want Games on Demand to enable day-and-date release of new titles, then there's certainly a lot of work we would need to go through. We're not anywhere close to that world today. We have great relationships with the retail channel--they're important partners. We sell a lot of hardware and software through retail channels. We have to be smart about how we approach this business."

So, what does that mean for us? It means that we will still have to head off to Game Stop, Amazon.com, and other retail stores to get our games on the retail release date. Microsoft has created long standing relationships and they are not planning on burning any bridges in the near future. They still need these retail relationships for hardware sales. So, why are they doing Games on Demand at all?

"One of the benefits of what we're doing, that you pointed out, is that it can be a great marketing tool for publishers. And remember, this is not an exclusive to Microsoft Game Studios; it's a service available to all publishers. It can be a great tool to reintroduce their franchises, especially the ones they care about having long-term additions for. It really is about expanding the options and the choices for consumers, and will have great benefits for publishers and the entire ecosystem."

As I said in my last post, buying games on demand is comparable in price to buying used at Game Stop. There is a reason for this. The games that are available on demand are most likely games where the publisher is preparing a sequel. I still think Games on Demand is a great idea. This might be because I don't already have a lot of the games that are currently offered. Games are so expensive it is hard for most people to buy games when they first come out. Games on Demand will make it easier for people to purchase the games they may have previously missed before the sequel is released. Players will also be able to purchase or repurchase games that they rented or even sold back in the past.

There is something I do have to wonder about, this is PURE speculation, will this still be true after Microsoft opens their new stores? I am sure nothing will change right away, but what will happen if the stores become wildly successful? Will Microsoft rethink their need for their current retail relationships? For as much as I love wondering Game Stop, looking at boxes, and talking to staff, I would give that up in a heartbeat and probably even buy new games more often if I could do it from the comfort of my own home and have immediate access to my purchase.