Digital distribution finally reigns the PC games market

[DuckDodgers]

Not exactly news for certain Master Race™ members, but the numbers are clearly pointing the obvious:
 
Downloadable titles make up 92% of PC games market
 

That may sound high, even to people who haven't bought a PC game on a disc for years, but it lines up with other numbers reported throughout the industry. Last year, Payday 2 publisher Starbreeze announced that 80 percent of its 1.58 million first-month sales came from downloads, for instance. And let's not forget the scores of PC games that are totally ignoring retail sales for 100 percent downloadable releases these days, from Dota 2 to Day Z.

 

Download-dominated PC gaming is a newer phenomenon than some gamers might realize. As recently as 2010, analyst firm NPD was estimating that downloads made up only 48 percent of all PC game sales.

 

One possible reason for the sharp increase over the last four years is money brought in from newly ascendant free-to-play and microtransaction-driven PC games. In April, a DFC report on the PC games market found that free-to-play games, especially MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2, were driving heavy increases in overall PC game spending, pushing it above overall console game spending for the first time in recent memory.

[JAKEBAB]

I still prefer having a physical copy I like the fact that I buy something and actually can hold in my hands plus limited editions are cool when u really like certain game or dev also what about the people that are still on 3rd world Internet speeds and data caps lol

[Askew]

I think it's far from 'finally' it's made it to 92% lol

[RelentlessAF]

Well where I live you can't even buy physical copies of PC games, unless you want Sims expansions. So it's either wait 2 weeks for it to come in the mail or play it in a few hours after buying it on Steam.

[rashdanml]

I think it's far from 'finally' it's made it to 92% lol

Keyword "reigns"

 

Meaning it's the primary form of distribution. 

[Askew]

Keyword "reigns"

 

Meaning it's the primary form of distribution. 

 

No shit.

[Accursed Entity]

I still prefer having a physical copy I like the fact that I buy something and actually can hold in my hands plus limited editions are cool when u really like certain game or dev also what about the people that are still on 3rd world Internet speeds and data caps lol

 

Yes!

[Legion]

"And let's not forget the scores of PC games that are totally ignoring retail sales for 100 percent downloadable releases these days, from Dota 2 to Day Z."

 

 

You don't say you really think a brick and motor would sell a green light game? Day Z can sell on steam because they have a no refund policy. Imagine someone not knowing its not even close to being finished paying 30 notes for it in a shop.

Free 2 Play doesn't make sense to use the physical model either publishing games physically costs money so how do you get that money back without charging for it, and why would some one buy it when they can download it legally for free.

 

99.9% of my games bought in the past 3 years are digital but occasionally a nice collector edition comes along I'll buy.

[The_Evenger]

I only have 350Kb/s [2.8Mbps], so I can't say I care for this...

[totjup5]

Digital is the best. I love launching everything from one place.

[Silent_Xaxal]

I don't see how this is new, especially grabbed borderlands 2 GOTY for about 7$ during summer.

 

I still like my physical copies, though, and it does seem that we will move towards having physical copies become parts of premium/limited editions now as opposed to just being thrown out as standard releases.

 

However, I'd be more interested in the numbers outside of the US. This was a foregone conclusion in the developed West, but the numbers elsewhere should prove interesting. I'm happy that online purchases off of Steam don't get subject to the customs BS that has plagued imports of physical games (Or ANYTHING, for that matter) here for years.

[Humbug]

So glad the days of physical copies are coming to an end.
Don't want to go back to worrying about scratched discs and whether that 5 year old discs still works, or maybe it's a problem with my ROM, worrying about cd-keys, having to store the discs some place where I try to keep them looking good but they get dusty and have to be cleaned, and then they get knocked over LOL. Also no need for optical drives. And no more worrying about availability, shelf space in stores or stocks are no longer an issue. Even if the game was released 20 years ago I can still get it.

Thank God for GOG, Origin and Steam.

Two years ago I put all my old discs away into a box, good riddance

[Humbug]

However, I'd be more interested in the numbers outside of the US. This was a foregone conclusion in the developed West, but the numbers elsewhere should prove interesting. I'm happy that online purchases off of Steam don't get subject to the customs BS that has plagued imports of physical games (Or ANYTHING, for that matter) here for years.

I don't have numbers but for many places in asia availability was a major problem before steam so people had to pirate. Retailers didn't sell enough numbers to stock a large library of pc games so they normally only stocked brand new ones alongside the console games. Piracy was much easier. Now a good chunk of those pirates are converted because they find that between steam/origin and GOG things are not only affordable but convenient and they can find exactly the games they are looking for.

[Mooshi]

The real issue are companies charging the same amount for digital copies as they do physical. There is zero logic behind this aside from greed. While not PC related, Nintendo is very guilty on this. The girlfriend wanted to play the remakes of the 3rd gen Pokemon games and got a 3DS, she then decided to see what games in the eshop were selling and we both did a "What, I don't even" in regards to a game she wanted for download literally being the same price as a physical copy in a retail store. 

 

No excuse for that BS. It's a rom file with zero spent on getting it onto shelves, zero spent on plastics for the box/wrapping and zero cost on dye for the included game manual. Seriously, this trend should spark more outrage.

[Silent_Xaxal]

The real issue are companies charging the same amount for digital copies as they do physical. There is zero logic behind this aside from greed. While not PC related, Nintendo is very guilty on this. The girlfriend wanted to play the remakes of the 3rd gen Pokemon games and got a 3DS, she then decided to see what games in the eshop were selling and we both did a "What, I don't even" in regards to a game she wanted for download literally being the same price as a physical copy in a retail store. 

 

No excuse for that BS. It's a rom file with zero spent on getting it onto shelves, zero spent on plastics for the box/wrapping and zero cost on dye for the included game manual. Seriously, this trend should spark more outrage.

 

It hasn't sparked much outrage due to the fact that the majority of non-PC sales are still physical. It also hasn't been a huge issue because of those now ever present sales. Particularly on Steam, but PSN has been making progress.

[ZetZet]

I only have 350Kb/s [2.8Mbps], so I can't say I care for this...

overnight downloading is your friend

[The_Evenger]

ZetZet, on 19 Aug 2014 - 07:17 AM, said:

overnight downloading is your friend

nope, my parents have this fear that I will stay up all night and do whatever so the block internet access at night

[Misanthrope]

The best part it's retail games that just give you a steam code anyway

[SeventyPointThree]

My wife and I just got a Wii U this month and I found myself angry because I couldn't download games to the HDD and that the Wii store was horrible.  I guess being a part of the PC master race has ruined me forever.  

[Xorbot]

I still prefer having a physical copy I like the fact that I buy something and actually can hold in my hands plus limited editions are cool when u really like certain game or dev also what about the people that are still on 3rd world Internet speeds and data caps lol

 

Do you enjoy your old-time media, grandpa? (i.e. optical discs)

[ZetZet]

nope, my parents have this fear that I will stay up all night and do whatever so the block internet access at night

LOL

[Real_PhillBert]

I dont have a single game on my PC that wasnt a download. In fact I can say that for all software on it at all.

[Humbug]

I dont have a single game on my PC that wasnt a download. In fact I can say that for all software on it at all.

i have one; windows 7. Everything else Either downloaded by me or a friend.

[Real_PhillBert]

i have one; windows 7. Everything else Either downloaded by me or a friend.

 

Even my 8.1 was downloaded. Granted I downloaded it from another PC but downloaded non-the-less.