DemoniOtaku on 20 March 2014
| BaldrSkies said: Hey guys, I really appreciate all the input. I don't just work with Vita games, but it is the platform with the highest digital adoption rate of game consoles. Obviously it doesn't reach things like smartphones or Steam, since those are 100% digital. We've all seen the growth of digital distribution, and it's the method of choice for small companies and indies who don't want to or can't deal with physical distribution. There are a lot of costs involved in physical distribution, such as manufacturing, shipping and fuel, warehousing and other storage costs, commission and cuts for buyers, mass dealers, retailers, etc. Sometimes you get projects that wouldn't be profitable, or would be too risky, taking a physical route. There are a lot of great people localizing games, but they wouldn't have jobs for long if they work on projects that don't make money. If it were possible, every game would be localized, but the industry often deals with shortage of quality workers, and again some projects are too risky. Risk in small projects is much easier to take a gamble on than larger projects, though, which is why you see some quirky games get localized. And that's also why the question of digital only distribution comes into play, to cut out the costs of dealing with physical products. It's not always about a company trying to maximize their profit, it's about trying to MAKE a profit so the project can go forward. Anyway, I'm not saying all releases are going to be switching to digital or anything like that. It's just a question that can come into play when pushing or prioritizing certain projects. It seems like a lot of Vita owners are more open to digital distribution than PS3. And yes, I'm aware that physical products on shelves can help push hardware sales, and the Vita could really use that push outside Japan. |
The PRO of the Digital, is that a lot of small games have been published thanks to that.. because probably a lot of project didn't make it to retaiil on last generations... because there wasn't a cheap publishing way.
i'm not enterely sure if Digital is the future, but will definitively dominate the ratio.
