I do make this prediction though: in 2022, I will no longer care.
The Gamestop model is built heavily on used game sales. They don't make enough money on new retail purchases to have all those Gamestops running around.
Once the console markets shut off the used market, which will happen, Gamestop's in serious trouble.
They won't "shut off" the used game sales market. They'll try to make money on it. Gamestop has been taking the whole cut, and now the publishers want in on it. Gamestop will stay in business if they can break even +10% or so on capital use, after their incomes have been reduced by the new marketplay.
AFAIK gamestop are already selling "online passes" for some games where you have to activate a license before you can play. The passes, of course, come from the publisher.
Actually, they would want to shut it off. Used games don't benefit the publishers of new games one bit. They reduce the sale of new games.
If owners could make a license needed to play a game period, I'm sure they would. The infrastructure isn't there yet, especially since many consoles aren't hooked up to the internet.
The "online passes" were a measure specifically introduced to cut down on used game value. The problem is the "online passes" costs are passed onto the consumer in terms of lowering the value of used games.
I think Frogboy had it right in many ways with Impulse in terms of not selling Steam games because it pushes you to another digital store. Sure you can make a quick buck selling Skyrim now, but once that customer has to install Steam they have it. Now when the next AAA title comes out that requires Steamworks again said customer is pushed to Steam once again. Doesn't take too long for said customer to figure out it's a whole lot easier to just buy their games on Steam directly (the Steamworks games anyway).
It's a pickle not just for Gamestop but for Gamersgate and others. So my guess is they want to get the quick buck while they can.
I'm mentioned before that I was a pretty big Steam hater. After Gamestop bought Impulse I've used nothing but Steam and I frankly don't have a problem with it. I even had it start up on boot up.
it's not all that different from gfwl games...(game for windows live) that required logging into gfwl...
which i hated. dow2 used both steam (for patching and effectively drm) and gfwl for online stuff.. multiple sets of accounts is bad, especially when i don't even use gfwl for anything else and don't even know what the account is once i signed up for it once only... (which was why i lost all progress and had to dig up a new account or some such )
did impulse carry gfwl games?
While I agree with the sentiment for the most part, now it's just a fact of life...many games use a specific client.
You can of course not sell those games, but then you're missing out on quite a few of the biggest hits out there. Skyrim? Nope. Battlefield 3? Nope. Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Nope. The list goes on.
So if Impulse doesn't carry those, the customer is STILL driven to Steam/Origin to purchase them...and Gamestop gets nothing.
There's really no fixing it as it stands now. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
You have to get your own exclusives, and that would have taken money Stardock didn't have or at least wasn't willing to spend.
The only company able to do that was EA, which is why I think Origin will be successful eventually. (and Blizzard's been doing it for years)
Very true. But there are many different types of people as well. One of the primary reasons I used impulse Is i could shop around for a new game and I knew that whatever game i decided to buy wouldn't require steam. Now its in the same boat as gamers gate or D2D in that.. sure I could shop for games there but now I gotta check if that new game I want requires steam prior to purchasing it. Given that I tend to go with gamers gate now because it requires 0 client.. updates etc for a retail copy work with it etc. I still prefer a disc copy but alot of games that arent AAA games hard copies are becoming hard to find.
Impulse and GG tell you if a game requires Steam (though GG calls it a 3rd party client, which can also mean Origin)
They all do.. but the difference is I actually have to pay attention now.. before i knew if it was available on impulse, steam wasn't required. Which made impulse the first place I shopped at(I moved to impulse when D2D started carrying steam games), now there is nothing to differentiate them from D2D or GG other than impulse requires a client.(not a benefit)
The point isn't whether they tell you or not.. but from a convenience perspective impulse was easier since I didn't have to worry about it prior to gamestops take over. If i found it on impulse.. it didn't require steam. Thankfully we still have GOG.
Definately a benefit to me.
I moved off D2D because they didn't have a client.
Now they have an optional one (Comrade) but it's so awful I refuse to keep it installed.
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