Microsoft Clarify Family Sharing, Wasn’t Only Demos

[Zappykins]

bananaking21 said:
i guess we will see if they are lying or not. there is no reason why they cant implement family sharing on digital downloads, if they do so they werent lying, if they dont then i call bullshit

I first agreed with you when I saw this.  Then spent much time thinking about it. We have to remember their biggest consumers are the retailers.  They can not alienate them.

That is why they have to sell the full digital game for the same price as the retail.  And they have to have the same benefits (like family sharing.) Otherwise, why would anyone buy retail?  The companies would stop carrying their products.

They are already in some hot water with the Surface.  I think it has hurt their relationship with their business partners.  (Why get a tablet from someone else, when their’s is the best? – or the one you know.)

If digital games carries some significant benefits that the others did not – then they would be separate product and again, the retails would stop stocking their stuff.

As I see it now, I don’t think there is a way that GameStop and the like will be able to stay in business.  The recent Xbox One changes has ironically stacked everything in the digital side.  To instant swap games they have to be all digital.  They will still sell retail, but I see the retail business going the way of Music and Video stores.