GameStop Eyeballs Steam's Milkshake

[Andy Chalk]

GameStop Eyeballs Steam's Milkshake

GameStop is apparently looking to take a bite of Steam's pie and it's going to use Battlefield 3 [http://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-3-Limited-Pc/dp/B002I0HJZO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1310751373&sr=8-3] to do it.

Remember back in March, when GameStop acquired [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108904-GameStop-Buys-Impulse-Further-Invests-in-Digital-Distribution] the Impulse digital distribution platform from Stardock? It's no Steam, but Impulse is up there among the industry's tier-two big boys like Direct2Drive and GamersGate, and the purchase made it clear that GameStop was serious about dodging the digital bullet.

The sailing seems smooth so far: industry analyst Colin Sebastian wrote in a Baird Equity Research investors report that the company expects digital sales to balloon to $1.5 billion by 2014, from a predicted $500 million for 2011. The majority of GameStop's current digital sales is DLC sold in conjunction with in-store marketing but with the acquisition of Impulse, the company plans to become a bigger player in the field, in part by taking "a meaningful share from market leader Steam."

One step in that strategy will apparently be taken with EA's modern combat shooter Battlefield 3. Rumors that the game would not appear on Steam surfaced earlier this week [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111562-Battlefield-3-May-Not-Reach-Steam] and the Baird report has now confirmed it. "The upcoming EA title Battlefield 3 will be sold as a download through GameStop, but not through Steam," it says. "Given Steam's dominance - and insistence on users downloading a Steam client application - publishers are likely to be receptive to a competitive alternative."

Whether or not publishers are actually looking for a "competitive alternative" to Steam, the digital marketplace is proving extremely lucrative for GameStop. The company's total sales for the first quarter of 2011 hit $2.28 billion, a year-over-year increase of 9.5 percent, while digital sales skyrocketed an astonishing 53 percent over the same period.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35904/Report_Digital_Strategy_To_Grow_GameStop_To_15B_In_Revenues_By_2014.php]


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[RollForInitiative]

I'm surprised that EA isn't limiting this to Origin as a way to move the new store forward.

 

[Burningsok]

Gamestop: I, drink, your, milkshake!!

Daniel Day Lewis is behind this.

 

[TheShogun]

Oh man, dey so silly.

 

[Scytail]

Now if only GameStop would distribute some of that 2.28 billion to its employees and stop treating them like shit.

 

[TimeLord]

While this is all very interesting, and I don't think it will work, I just have to say;

Best thread title ever.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Well, I could either support a morally bankrupt retail chain...or I can just ignore EA's Big Generic Shooter 3 and move on with my life.

 

[Micalas]

How do they plan to do it with BF3? Isn't it up to the publisher how it gets distributed...

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

Steam's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...

 

[Fensfield]

Waaaiit... Gamestop bought Impulse? Man, that's..

Bleh >.>; Oh well, I still like Impulse better. In fact, I'd call Impulse perfect if it could put its overlay on 3rd party games.

Oh well, whatever happens, at least it'll mean more competition - thank goodness.

 

[SpcyhknBC]

I wonder if it'll get to the point where Gamestop will allow you to trade in used games for online currency/only online currency/store credit

 

[Zipa]

"Given Steam's dominance - and insistence on users downloading a Steam client application - publishers are likely to be receptive to a competitive alternative."

Impulse requires a client to to download the games just as steam does so I don't see how impulse are any different.

Also gamestop are likely to struggle considering their past history of pissing off PC gamers and basically declaring the platform dead years ago a lot of them are going to remember it.

Then there's the whole issue of impulse not having a integrated voice or text chat program unlike steam, people are not going to swap to a inferior platform, people would be more inclined to buy at retail and add the game to steam via the add non steam game option as the UI overlay works with modern games.

 

[Wolfram23]

Well whatever. I have D2D, Impulse, Steam, and Origin. Now if only there was an app that could conglomerate all these together and give me the best price on whichever game I want to buy rather than having to check out all 4 distributors...

Also, I dislike GameStop.

EDIT: Also, to the editor, you should make an article on this: http://www.overwolf.com/
It's a gadget that integrates into games and allows you to use popular media like FB, Twitter, Skype, MSN, etc while you game

 

[Zipa]

Well, I could either support a morally bankrupt retail chain...or I can just ignore EA's Big Generic Shooter 3 and move on with my life.

Or you can buy a hard copy in a shop and add it to steam.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Just trying to analyze... So, BF3 is not available on Steam, but MW3 will be. So on PC MW3 won already.
EA don't know jack...

 

[RoboGeek]

LOL this is funny cause you cant even purchase any of EAs games in the UK so i guess its the same for the rest of Europe as well.

 

[Dr_Horrible]

First off, let me start by saying.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
*ahem*

Yeah, I think that Gamestop can go can go have its wet dreams somewhere else, thank you. I like Valve and Steam. What I dislike, with great intensity, is Gamestop. Their main business plan is centered around keeping game developers away from the profits they deserve.

My prediction is that, very soon, everyone will have forgotten about Impulse and Origin and everything else, because they were too busy marveling at the amazing sale that's on Steam at the time.

I understand that practical monopolies are usually bad, being a supporter of free market practices, but I don't see any problems while Steam is the ONLY service that provides the quality service I expect (though it would be nice to see some serious competition, not the lightweights that have come before).

 

[ZeppMan217]

Just trying to analyze... So, BF3 is not available on Steam, but MW3 will be. So on PC MW3 won already.
EA don't know jack...

Its already been proven that the PC crowd doesnt give a fuck about call of duty and activision doesnt give a fuck about the PC crowd. When your game is pirated on the PC five times more then it is actually purchased then that crowd can do fuck themselves.

I facepalm you, good sir. Don't talk if you don't know.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Gamestop wants a bit of Gabe's pie?

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!