Let’s talk Diablo 3. Huge game, massive release. Here’s the kicker, though. Millions of copies were sold directly over the internet, bypassing traditional game retailers like GameStop. That’s millions of sales those retailers didn’t get. Diablo 3 is the current big name, but it’s not the only one. Xbox LIVE Arcade, Steam, and whatever it is that Sony does are all taking a huge slice of the retail pie… and the brick and mortar types are forced to fight over what’s left. Increasingly, that isn’t much. ReadWriteWeb has the story.
On the other side of the fence, those who do buy digital are discovering the code they purchased and downloaded can’t be run until the physical release of the box in the really-real world stores. Surprisingly, these gamers aren’t very happy their purchases are being locked away so Blizzard doesn’t hurt GameStop’s feelings. There is a disconnect here, and it looks like one that will grow over time.