Digital Distribution for Wrath... when?

[kurros]

blizz wil not have a digital copy at launch, they have contracts with the physical distributers to promote the game in their locations if blizz launched a digital copy blizz would lose a ton of money they spent making all the hard copys and such

If there was a digital copy available at launch blizzard could save money and NOT make those physical copies.

except for all that money they lose by not selling it via retailers and also paying for overwhelming bandwidth

I guarantee you blizzard would make more money on a $40 digital upgrade than they do on a $39.99 retail box.

And as a distribution cost, bandwidth is far cheaper than sending out physical boxes.

Contractual obligations is the only realistic reasoning.

[Elsie]

blizz wil not have a digital copy at launch, they have contracts with the physical distributers to promote the game in their locations if blizz launched a digital copy blizz would lose a ton of money they spent making all the hard copys and such

If there was a digital copy available at launch blizzard could save money and NOT make those physical copies.

except for all that money they lose by not selling it via retailers and also paying for overwhelming bandwidth

I guarantee you blizzard would make more money on a $40 digital upgrade than they do on a $39.99 retail box.

And as a distribution cost, bandwidth is far cheaper than sending out physical boxes.

Contractual obligations is the only realistic reasoning.

Free Advertisement.

If Blizzard was internet only they'd eventually disappear from mainstream. The newbies (read: kids that used to be children) would be like "zomgwtf is bliz?" Not an immediate concern, but not something dismissible. Free advertising? Wall space? Midnight release events? Mmm.

[Kethion]

Last I heard it will be available download prior to launch (I hear they are just holding on to this information for a bit). I have no idea if/when they will start to sell the authentication keys online. But to my knowledge you will be able to have WotLK installed on your machine before you go out and buy it, so all that you need to do is upgrade your account from the code you get out of the box and you can /dance and start playing immediately.

[halabar]

I guarantee you blizzard would make more money on a $40 digital upgrade than they do on a $39.99 retail box.

And as a distribution cost, bandwidth is far cheaper than sending out physical boxes.

Contractual obligations is the only realistic reasoning.

No.

If Blizz did that, the retailers would respond by pulling all Blizz products from the shelves. Want to introduce a new game?.. good luck.

Plus, you miss the casual buyers once the stores pull it from the shelves, or bury it in the back room.

If you need it overseas, then have someone buy the box, take out the DVD and key, and mail them both normal mail.

[Sabindeus]

I guarantee you blizzard would make more money on a $40 digital upgrade than they do on a $39.99 retail box.

And as a distribution cost, bandwidth is far cheaper than sending out physical boxes.

Contractual obligations is the only realistic reasoning.

No.

If Blizz did that, the retailers would respond by pulling all Blizz products from the shelves. Want to introduce a new game?.. good luck.

Plus, you miss the casual buyers once the stores pull it from the shelves, or bury it in the back room.

If you need it overseas, then have someone buy the box, take out the DVD and key, and mail them both normal mail.

it's true. You don't have any idea how much power GameStop has in the retail arena.

[Jobalq]

WTB Maintankadin WotlK Retail sell.

Here at Mexico we will only get Latin American (Spanish) Versions.

So we are at the same situation as EU.

[kurros]

No.

If Blizz did that, the retailers would respond by pulling all Blizz products from the shelves. Want to introduce a new game?.. good luck.

Plus, you miss the casual buyers once the stores pull it from the shelves, or bury it in the back room.

If you need it overseas, then have someone buy the box, take out the DVD and key, and mail them both normal mail.

There are dozens of games out, right now, which you can buy online and download *or* purchase in a retail store. Offering a digital purchase option doesn't prevent blizzard from also offering the game for sale in retail locations.

The exception would be if there was some sort of contractual limitation that said gamestop or whatever will only carry the game if there is no digital purchase option.... which is what I already said.

[djlar]

WTB Maintankadin WotlK Retail sell.

Here at Mexico we will only get Latin American (Spanish) Versions.

So we are at the same situation as EU.

I'M in the same boat, I could easily get it on Mexico stores, but, will it work with my already english version installed? We don't know until we try..

Or I could go risk going to El Paso, Tx and not finding a single copy available on any stores and miss out weeks until they re-stock? mmm

I could reserve my copy online, but like Bestbuy, will they REALLY reserved it? or you come to pick it up and there are none avail?

[halabar]

No.

If Blizz did that, the retailers would respond by pulling all Blizz products from the shelves. Want to introduce a new game?.. good luck.

Plus, you miss the casual buyers once the stores pull it from the shelves, or bury it in the back room.

If you need it overseas, then have someone buy the box, take out the DVD and key, and mail them both normal mail.

There are dozens of games out, right now, which you can buy online and download *or* purchase in a retail store. Offering a digital purchase option doesn't prevent blizzard from also offering the game for sale in retail locations.

The exception would be if there was some sort of contractual limitation that said gamestop or whatever will only carry the game if there is no digital purchase option.... which is what I already said.

But are those games available online at launch?.. and if so, are they major developers?..

Remember, Blizz is part of a larger collective. What they do with Wrath can effect the entire portfolio of a company's products. They don't want to screw retailers who will remember.

Movies aren't out on DVD the first day, are they?

[kurros]

But are those games available online at launch?.. and if so, are they major developers?..

Yes, and yes.

http://store.steampowered.com/ for example.

[PsiVen]

Blizzard definitely has the power to pull a Valve, but Steam was highly controversial. They have contractual obligations, working relationships, and marketing schemes that would all have to go out the window to start selling their products.

If they did go for it, they would probably actually use Steam. But I think they're happy with the current model and don't want to deal with the stress of restructuring it.

[Pizbit]

No for 2 main reasons:

1) Getting hard copies out through shops to please their distribution channel.

2) Reducing what would already be abnormally high server load for the first month(s) following released as a LOT of people will be installing, activating, patching and logging in, surfing forums, main website for information.

Personally I think #2 is the biggest reason why.

[Fahsky]

I agree with Blizz losing out by not offering a retail copy, at the very least with the big retail corporation trolls, like Wal-Mart & Gamestop. God knows the number of pre-orders Gamestop has pulled on WotLK alone, which is pulling them in a ton of interest. $5 times a few million? Geez, free money for them.

I hadn't considered the size of the expansion too - It's going to be around 2gigs, at least, right? That could be a problem for a lot of people, what with ISPs suddenly thinking it's a good decision for their business model to restrict customers. And I'm not sure on their distribution method - I know downloading the damn thing via that evil BlizzDownloader would be akin to sticking toothpicks in my eyes.

Anyway, I'm hoping they launch it, at the most, two months after the retail release. Still think a world-wide digital launch alongside the retail version would be awesome though.

[Spectrum]

The expansion will only be on DVD. And the last one was 4-5 CDs.

Usually they do this because of the physical distributors. They get the advertising in the stores for free and the physical distributors get a markup. The manufacture and shipping of physical copies is really pretty cheap. I'm guessing it's some sort of contracts with distributors and the lust for advertising.

As for digital downloads for our friends in far-away places. I too could host an image on my server. It should have a decent uplink from the co-lo, but I do have a bandwidth cap currently. If someone were to bug me about it and drop some cash in my paypal account we could set something up.

[Sabindeus]

The expansion will only be on DVD. And the last one was 4-5 CDs.

Usually they do this because of the physical distributors. They get the advertising in the stores for free and the physical distributors get a markup. The manufacture and shipping of physical copies is really pretty cheap. I'm guessing it's some sort of contracts with distributors and the lust for advertising.

As for digital downloads for our friends in far-away places. I too could host an image on my server. It should have a decent uplink from the co-lo, but I do have a bandwidth cap currently. If someone were to bug me about it and drop some cash in my paypal account we could set something up.

Problem is that doesn't get them Activation Keys.