Digital Early Release?

[SVCbearcat10]

I think an early digital release is something these companies should seriously consider. Their margins should be higher on digital content than the disc selling at a retailer. The industry wants to move to all digital distribution, why not release the digital version a week before the retailer release date? If it gets enough people buy the digital version because of this, then they save even more money because less discs have to be manufactured. A week before they go on sell at GameStop, as an example, the game will have been completely finished.

This gives an incentive to its customer base to move in the direction that they want. This does not rush the development or quality of game because the game will have been finished by this time anyways (they need to put the game on a disc and ship). It should increase their margins and save costs, especially if there is a strong consumer response to it. Right now, there is no incentive to go digital other than you don't have to get up and put in a disc. I think this would go a long way in moving the distribution games to digital.

By phrasing it as you get your content faster digitally, I think consumers will embrace it. The other way of looking at it is that you're delaying the physical copy a week, which would get a public backlash.

[MrOldboy]

In the end Sony needs to stay in the good graces of retailers though, its just how that relationship works.

Its not just the lost sales of physical (since you have to assume that they won't get 100% transfer rate from physical to digital). Its the marketing that the retailers do to sell consoles and games, its the floor space to sell consoles. A huge company like Bestbuy or Gamestop does a ton to sell these games and consoles because they get a cut. And that cut comes mostly from software sales.

I agree that publishers and console makers shoudl incentivize digital purchases more as there is less manufacturing cost and margin to retailers. But its much more complicated than just that. Retailers need video game makers and they need retailers.

[HockeyRef33]

Quote: Originally Posted by SVCbearcat10

I think an early digital release is something these companies should seriously consider. Their margins should be higher on digital content than the disc selling at a retailer. The industry wants to move to all digital distribution, why not release the digital version a week before the retailer release date? If it gets enough people buy the digital version because of this, then they save even more money because less discs have to be manufactured. A week before they go on sell at GameStop, as an example, the game will have been completely finished. This gives an incentive to its customer base to move in the direction that they want. This does not rush the development or quality of game because the game will have been finished by this time anyways (they need to put the game on a disc and ship). It should increase their margins and save costs, especially if there is a strong consumer response to it. Right now, there is no incentive to go digital other than you don't have to get up and put in a disc. I think this would go a long way in moving the distribution games to digital. By phrasing it as you get your content faster digitally, I think consumers will embrace it. The other way of looking at it is that you're delaying the physical copy a week, which would get a public backlash.

I think this is a great point. This is currently being done with movies. There are a great number of movies that you can buy digitally via iTunes, etc. that are released a week or two early as a bonus for buying it digitally. I think this could happen in gaming, but not for a while. When Sony and Microsoft really make the push for completely digital distribution, then I think it could happen but not for a while.

Something to note about the original post, lets be careful about paying $80 for a game. As customers we shouldn't set a precedent that shows we are willing to pay $80 for the regular version of a game because then before you know it all games will cost $80. Even now, I only pay the full $60 for games I'm really pumped for. MLB The Show is probably only one of maybe two or three games I pay full price for each year. Anything else, I wait a few months for it to go on sale for $40 or less. Not saying that $60 is an unfair price considering all of the development costs of these games, but its tough for a broke college student to swing when I could buy a tank of gas with it instead.

[HustlinOwl]

Quote: Originally Posted by SVCbearcat10

I think an early digital release is something these companies should seriously consider. Their margins should be higher on digital content than the disc selling at a retailer. The industry wants to move to all digital distribution, why not release the digital version a week before the retailer release date? If it gets enough people buy the digital version because of this, then they save even more money because less discs have to be manufactured. A week before they go on sell at GameStop, as an example, the game will have been completely finished. This gives an incentive to its customer base to move in the direction that they want. This does not rush the development or quality of game because the game will have been finished by this time anyways (they need to put the game on a disc and ship). It should increase their margins and save costs, especially if there is a strong consumer response to it. Right now, there is no incentive to go digital other than you don't have to get up and put in a disc. I think this would go a long way in moving the distribution games to digital. By phrasing it as you get your content faster digitally, I think consumers will embrace it. The other way of looking at it is that you're delaying the physical copy a week, which would get a public backlash.

as long as these games are still being sold for the same price digitally as a physical copy I will never purchase a game with no resell value for the same price as a physical copy.

[burjeffton]

Quote: Originally Posted by HustlinOwl

as long as these games are still being sold for the same price digitally as a physical copy I will never purchase a game with no resell value for the same price as a physical copy.

Amen. I laugh when I see "preorder now!" on the PSN store. Why would I pay full price, get hit up for DLC, and then have no resale value when I'm finished with the game?

That's why I think an "early release" would be tempting. Now you're offering consumers real value for going digital - but obviously at a cost. No resale and paying at or above full price.

[DeerSteak]

Quote: Originally Posted by burjeffton

Amen. I laugh when I see "preorder now!" on the PSN store. Why would I pay full price, get hit up for DLC, and then have no resale value when I'm finished with the game? That's why I think an "early release" would be tempting. Now you're offering consumers real value for going digital - but obviously at a cost. No resale and paying at or above full price.

Sports games generally have no resale value once the season ends. You might get $10 but I'm still playing RTTS in December. Digital purchases make more sense for sports games, IMO. With the PS4, I replaced my system's stock hard drive with a 1TB drive straight away and I'm buying everything that I get at release time on digital. It's the epitome of lazy - I just don't want to get up and change discs. lol

It'd be nice if publishers did frequent sales like Steam does. I guess PSN does do that, for PS+ members.

[Mitchrapp]

Quote: Originally Posted by DeerSteak

Sports games generally have no resale value once the season ends. You might get $10 but I'm still playing RTTS in December. Digital purchases make more sense for sports games, IMO. With the PS4, I replaced my system's stock hard drive with a 1TB drive straight away and I'm buying everything that I get at release time on digital. It's the epitome of lazy - I just don't want to get up and change discs. lol It'd be nice if publishers did frequent sales like Steam does. I guess PSN does do that, for PS+ members.

Exactly, Changing discs is so 2010, lol. I play the Show until the new one comes out. No resell value in that.

Edit: Though I should say the big disadvantage is if you hate the game you're stuck..

[JPG619]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhilliesFan13

No chance that happens.

Just wish PSN was like Steam because some games have alpha and beta version of the games for people that pre-order the game so they can give input to games.

However I know since there are other companies making games so they can have someone to pre-order the other companies game so they can duplicate ideas before the game gets released to the public