Being able to pre-load a game without leaving the house is a considerably better experience than going out to a midnight opening, I’d say. Sure, there can be time-related issues with when your purchased game “unlocks,” but we’re getting there. Blizzard’s executive VP of game design, Rob Pardo, believes the industry is nearly ready for this system to be widely adopted.
“We’re now at the point where it’s time, especially for theWorld of Warcraftcommunity because they’re online by definition,” Pardo said to GI.biz. “They are already able to handle very large pieces of data so we felt that this is the best thing for the community, the opportunity to download and pre-order the game before we launch.”
“I can’t say for sure that this is the way for sure that we’ll deliver now all future games, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was, either. Once we get a little closer toDiablo IIIwe’ll make a determination,” he continued. “But the day’s coming. You can definitely see digital distribution all around the industry, it’s becoming a bigger and bigger per cent of the market.”
Blizzard: “The day’s coming” for day-and-date digital releases[GamesIndustry.biz]
