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News
(34)Previews
Review
Videos
(5)Screenshots
(12)Cheats and Walkthroughs
News
(34)Previews
Review
Videos
(5)Screenshots
(12)Cheats and Walkthroughs
A report from industry analyst and Newzoo CEO Peter Warman imagines that the release of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 will be download only. According to Warman, download only releases would allow publishers to "launch games faster, create continuous revenues on a title and simply to make more money."
In Warman's vision of the future, you'll still be able to buy GTA 5 in stores, but you won't be buying anything but a number. "Retail will always remain an important channel to promote and distribute games. Retail has a strong hand to play when it comes to eyeballs and… boxes make a nice gift. Boxed games will not disappear, but what is in the box will. That is why the boxed GTA V version will contain a collectible piece of merchandise and a download code. No disc," Warman said.
With all due respect the NewZoo and Peter Warman, I doubt Grand Theft Auto 5 will be download only. The speculation here at G4-central is that Grand Theft Auto 5 could be released at the end of 2012 -- no inside knowledge; that's just our best-guess, judging by the timing of the announcement and Rockstar's previous release schedule. That means Warman is predicting (or envisioning) a total industry re-alignment in the next year.
While it makes a certain sense in terms of ease-of-use, on the other hand, many, many consumers buy boxed discs and like it that way. I seriously doubt Rockstar/Take 2 will offer up their flagship title on the altar of an experiment in changing consumer patterns. Not to mention the logistical nightmare the download times and network stability would create on launch day, the extra money spent on "re-educating" more casual consumers on downloads, and a thousand other hurdles that I don't think anyone wants to jump in the next year or so.
What do you think? Are AAA games destined for download only status at some point in the near future? How long will it be?
Oh, and make sure you tune in to G4 tomorrow, where will be featuring the first Grand Theft Auto 5 video/trailer for ya!
Source: Industry Gamers
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Wozman23
I give this, and the ps3 exclusivity rumor, a .001% chance of happening. If they are seriously considering DD, they need to ask Sony how well the PSP Go went over.
Storage space and download rates are still nowhere near adequate for a console DD system. Until terabytes and petabytes are a dime a dozen, I'll still prefer to having inch-thick physical merchandise fill up a DVD cabinet. It's easy to swap a disc. Swapping data on a filled to capacity hard drive, not so much.
nighthawk282
I never had one, but didn't the PSP Go do/try something similar to this? If I recall, the box for Patapon 2 didn't actually have a game in it, just a download code. It doesn't seem to have caught on, but hey, maybe I'm just buying all the wrong games.
ChomskyKnows
and you thought Michael Pachter was a hater...
doesn't sound feasible for ppl still using dial-up. even the average current broadband can take awhile to download what i would assume would be a minimum 10gb+ game (it's Rockstar)...
UnJakeable
Sorry I like having my game discs
bobthebaptist
I also like the idea of downloadable titles, but IMO it's better to have both physical and digital. I have a 50GB DL cap and most recent games are anywhere from 5-20GB(most near the 20 mark).
Though, it is practical when I want an old game that I can't find in stores anymore. They both have their ups and downs and I do use both methods.
sandboxgamer
The day I have to download video games instead of having a hard copy form a store is the day I stop playing video games all together. As upsetting is that is for me I dont want to have to download my core games.
steelbox
I can see the industry going download only sometime in the distant future. In the near future? Nah.
bdwilson97
This guy must be a little crazy. There is a lot of people without an internet connection. They will be missing out on so much if every game is downloadable. I love having an awesome game case, and cool disc. I appreciate the games I get, so I will want more than just a code. I hope Rockstar stays away from that so called "future" and just keep it the way everyone likes it.
OneEyedJohnny
I want to be a game industry analyst. You get to talk bull all day long and get paid for it.
u4got2wipe
It's only a matter of time before the disc drive becomes obsolete. I think there's a very strong possibility that the next round of consoles are driveless. Even as this current generation of consoles comes to the end of their life cycle we are seeing more and more games being released on multiple discs, it seems only logical to ditch the disc once and for all. While i don't expect this to change the cost of games, as once those price points are set they never go down, i do expect to see more expansive gameplay. We look at games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim and gape in awe at their 100+ hours of gameplay, i hope that in the future the 100-150 hours of gameplay becomes the new 20-40 hours of gameplay that we regularly see in today's games.
I like that Rockstar is trying to get ahead of the curve on this one. Perhaps this is a sign that the game is going to be massive and releasing it on 3 or 4 discs just isn't a sound financial decision. One can hope.
permanent_nirvana
You know for an industry analyst this guy is pretty dumb. He, of all people, should know that gamers are not ones for change. I mean hell, motion gaming has been around for years now and it still hasn't been fully embraced.
It is not likely to happen in the near future. And it sure as hell won't happen with a AAA title like GTA 5. Activision is more likely to jump on something like this with Call of Duty.
And also, what are you to do with the game once you have played it and are done with it? You won't be able to trade it in anywhere because there will be nothing to trade in. In other words, once you purchase the game, you are stuck with it.
dz99ls
unless they feel this is an expansion there is no way in hell it will be download only
BONERJAM
Not going to happen. Why would Rockstar deny themselves of sales? There are far too many people that don't have internet access, a slow internet connection or don't have the storage space on their console to download a full game, clearly this guy has no idea what he is talking about.
animeandmangarule
that Peter Warman guy is a complete idiot... nobody wants download only games(except him apparently) and I hope they never become that way. I like physical discs to buy. What if there's a problem? what if I don't like that game and wanna get a refund or trade for anther game of equal price?.. can't do that with download only games, and that's probably ( and hopefully) why games will always have a disc to buy .
nightsnipe
IHIGHLY doubt this.
there's still a lot of costumers without an online connection. No way they would completely cut out those people from the equation. that would be a whole lot of money lost.
zdude2010
What some people dont realize is that some gamers still dont have an internet connection. They would lose sales from the people that dont have internet. And people like me who's internet is so slow it takes an hour to download 50 MB. I definately wouldnt be downloading a 12 GB game. the next gen consoles would come out before it finished.
Zzanzabar
Until systems have terabytes instead of gigabytes, download only games are only part of gaming companies wet dreams. There are just so many ways this can (and will) go wrong that it would take an entire article of space just to list them. People have already posted just a few of the problems inherit in a download only system. But if it does happen across the industry then my response is: 'Hello sun, I haven't seen you for awhile but with no video games for me welcome old friend."
CamperHunter1
Meh, wouldn't bother me any, just keep making sure the game is good and I'm happy.
ROUGEBLOCK
Where do analyst get these ideas? Out of their their diluted backends, or do do they just want attention by announcing random industry shifts that aren't going to happen? That process may happen one day, but for a series as popular and large as the GTA franchise, the signature one at that for Take-Two and Rockstar, why the hell would they even bother doing something like this. I mean the calculations, the risk, the servers and network coding for downloading it would be a conundrum. Please someone tell analyst to at least make predictions when practical reasoning is involved, or have them go back to college to take a refresher course in "Practical Reasoning".
zallstar1
One reason why this will never happen...
High Speed Internet caps
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