GameStop Buys Impulse, Further Invests in Digital Distribution

[FlashHero]

Welp, looks like I'm uninstalling Impulse from my computer now. Too bad, I had 5 games that I bought from them. No way in hell I will ever help that cartoonishly evil mass of bullshit that is GameShit.

Better idea...redownload each game everyday and clog up there server and spend their money at the same time.

 

[cainx10a]

Glad I got rid of Impulse a while back then. That's a pretty silly move, gamestop is the bane of gaming distribution with the way it handles used games distributing (being they keep all of the $$$ when a portion should definitely make it to the dev/pub's pockets).

 

[Irridium]

Well this sucks. My time with Gamestop has shown they are not as friendly as Stardock when it comes to their customers. This makes me very, very sad.

 

[draythefingerless]

Lol at GameStop trying not to die. BLOCKBUSTERS WAS WAY BIGGER THAN YOU, AND IT WENT DOWN TOO GAMESTOP. YOURE NEXT. ACCEPT IT.

 

[megs1120]

Oh no! And here I was, buying PC games almost exclusively from Stardock, trying to support the underdog...

 

[Alar]

This is a good idea for GameStop, if they want to keep themselves afloat. Otherwise, I foresee them crashing and burning similar to Blockbusters.

 

[thiosk]

well, there ends any support for impulse.

I preferred steam anyway, but liked supporting stardock. Makes me feel warm and jumbly inside.

They're probably running into financing issues after Elemental.

 

[Delusibeta]

looking at both press releases this seems to be Legit, i am now rather depressed. Impulse was a great tool for Stardock and a great alterative to steam becuase of it's culture. Now Impuse is just another platform with the added bad-will of being owned by an American fast-food like company who is involved in counterproductive methods of business to the industry. I only used the service because it was run by Stardock and had a great policy and culture about DRM, freedom of content and was over-all a VERY unintrusive platfrom.

If this is real I can see no way this culture can continue. I can see no way there can still be zreo DRM. I see no reason to use the serivice if this news is true. Gamespot just handed VALVE another section of the Digital Dist market on a platter since the good-will attached to Stardock was one of the main driving forces behind what made impulse work.

May I point you in the direction of Gamersgate [http://www.gamersgate.com?caff=145501]. Better than Impulse in pretty much every way I can think of, frankly. Just remember to copy and paste out the installers when you've finished downloading them. Viola: DRM free games (assuming the game you bought was DRM free, of course).

 

[Azaraxzealot]

i just had the strangest sense of dejavu reasing this article...

in any case, Gamestop needs some competition for retail sales, because as of right now, its the only place i know of to get games cheap

(Bioshock 2 is still about 30 bucks at target. i could just get it for 17.99 at gamestop...)

 

[Plurralbles]

Damnit. Though I never liked Impulse so I have now absolutely no reason to use it at all now.

Stardock was the only reason I was considering it.

 

[Worgen]

well if this is true then at least I have no reason to use it anymore, not like I did much anyway but it was still a good alternative to steam

 

[Rusty Bucket]

Can someone remind me why this is a bad thing? Impulse has been floundering because it doesn't have the financial backing available to be able to snag major releases like Steam does, so it can't compete. GameStop backing it will give it that financial backing so Steam will finally have some competition. This is only a good thing.

 

[Souplex]

NO! Gamestop, you were one of the good ones. Don't go down the path of Digital Distribution.
It's funny, I had never even heard of Impulse until yesterday when my friend was touting it's greatness while condemning me for liking Gamestop.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I remember long ago looking at other DD platforms, and just stopped when their offered library was the same as Steams.

It's probably why I only use Steam and GoG anymore.

 

[Covarr]

Literally the only reason I would ever consider Impulse over a larger, more functional platform like Steam is DRM and Stardock's ideals, and I think many people agree. Of course, it's safe to assume Gamestop will ruin this. I can't see Impulse gaining traction this way.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Phantom Echo]

You know... I'll never really care enough to complain about this. I like Gamestop. Since I also actually -like- games, too, though... I guess I don't really worry about where the money goes when I sell an old one. You know, because I don't ever sell an old one. Ever.

I'm like a damn archive of videogame history. Good games, bad games... games that don't really even qualify as games at all by conventional standards... I keep them all. That's just how it is.

And since I don't care, I like Gamestop fine. I'm friends with half the folks who work at the one I go to, including the managers. I like that they have stuff you just can't find on the one-shelf displays of a Walmart or Target or wherever the hell you might go. I like that they very rarely screw me over on getting me my game when I want it.

And most especially, I like that they're popular enough and successful enough to make people online hate them. Because that's pretty much when you know you've arrived.

So hey, maybe I'll read up a bit more on this Impulse business, now...

 

[velcthulhu]

Well, my only motivation for ever using Impulse was good will towards Stardock. I have no intention of giving money to Gamestop, so... no more Impulse for me.

 

[Fuselage]

I am just thinking, Steam is getting a few more hundred customers after hearing this news...