PC ”does not have the place” it once had with retailers, and the same goes for the US. Digital outperforming boxed is ”no surprise”, given the neglect.
“It was impossible for us to secure a strong place at retail because of difficulties with distributors and the extremely unfavourable conditions of the PC market,” said Focus’ CEO Cédric Lagarrigue. ”It has become very difficult to sell a good PC title there.”
“If people can’t find a product they want in stores, they will buy online. It is the same in the US, where PC does not have the place at retail that it had before. It was no surprise when NPD announced in September digital sales had exceeded that of boxed product for the first time,” he continued. We’ve just poked around Cities XL 2011 - see our review.
”If the same study were undertaken in England, I’m sure you would arrive at the same conclusions,” said Lagarrigue. “In territories like France or Germany, where PC games have a better place in stores, digital accounts for only 15 per cent of the total sales.”
Recently two leading UK retailers were threatening to drop certain boxed PC titles altogether if the publishers keep including Valve’s Steamworks, as it requires the studio’s Steam platform to be installed in order to run the games. Is extinction nigh?
