Topic: Will the downloadable games service mean more games coming west?

I've posted this over at GameFAQs, but thought I'd ask it here also.

So Nintendo will be allowing games to be either downloaded or bought in a store. That's good news, as choice is never a bad thing. Also, it stops people having to pay a huge amount of money down the track to be able to play games, as they can just download it (i.e. the digital market, at least, should be immune to supply shortages - think Atlus games for the DS).

Anyway, I'm wondering if Nintendo will also release some games as download-only, with no corresponding retail release. This could mean more games get translated and brought west, as the cost of manufacturing and distributing retail units is circumvented. Thus, the only cost to bear would be that of translation.

I think it would be a great opportunity that Nintendo should take on. It's lower risk than retail (as there is zero danger of overproducing units) and a smaller number of sales are required to break even. Also, it could allow them to gauge interest in a particular title, and possible release games at retail later.

Thoughts?

I much prefer having the physical game, but if it means that I get to play a game that otherwise wouldn't be available over here, then I'm all for the idea.

Unless there's some sort of quota developers must meet before being paid, I think it's convenient.

However, how can it be called a downloadable retail game if it's only available in download form?

Me too, but as you say - if the option is have a digital copy or none at all, people may really go for the digital copy.

It wouldn't be?

I was thinking about this earlier today too. That would definitely be cool. Y'know, I wonder if that's how they'd bring over MH3G...

I think the idea is it would be available in both formats. So Atlus, for instance, could put out a limited edition physical retail release alongside a cheaper download. This keeps retail's value high and also lets it sell more games more cheaply without such high costs of manufacturing/distribution etc.

I like to think we'd see more games in general when dual releases come into play as it lowers the risk for most games. That is if a retailer chooses to stock the 16-digit code, I guess...

Now, that would work better.
However the thread author's idea was to have developers release their games as downloads only to lower production costs, which, as far as I know, is something they have been able to do since the birth of the eShop.

We don't even know the max size they can use for their download titles, so it could be large enough to release retail-quality titles right now.
Some retail titles are quite light in size from what I hear, too.

Developers have been able to sell their games as downloads only on the eShop for quite some time.
Even Nintendo.

If we haven't seen "games that we wouldn't get otherwise" it's because developers are not interested.

I was under the impression that the eShop currently doesn't allow full-size games to be downloaded. I may be wrong about that, in which case you're right. However, if Nintendo brings more attention to the service through releasing Mario etc. games through it, then it may encourage other developers to jump on board to take advantage of additional exposure.

I was talking about some games being released purely in digital form, at least to begin with (instead of dual digital+retail releases, as Nintendo has confirmed). It might encourage a situation like Steam on the PC - far, far fewer games need to be sold in order to make a profit, so in addition to smaller, budget games being released (i.e. the current eShop), we may see bigger-budget games getting a digital release here. I know these are current-gen games, but I'm thinking of stuff like Captain Rainbow, Earth Seeker, things like that. Purely digital releases greatly drop the break even point, allowing devs to get their games out there.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a win-win situation. The devs get a broader audience, where they can make more money off their games, while the consumers get a greater range of games to pick from, including some that only appeal to a limited group of gamers that would not normally get localised.

I'm mainly a PC gamer, and it's a great example for this. In the past few years, with broadband internet becoming widely available and platforms like Steam taking off in a big way, it's financially viable for developers to make a game that might only sell a few thousand copies. As a result, some amazing games have been released showcasing some incredible talent which otherwise would never have seen the light of day.

After a few years of stagnation (the mid-2000s) with publishers really only willing to take on big-budget, low-risk sequels to established franchises, the PC has become a platform showcasing some incredibly innovative games. If Nintendo can figure out how to attract developers to their online stores (i.e. making their conditions for the developers fair and appealing) then I think that Wii U and 3DS gamers would be in for a treat, particularly given that selling your game in a store that also sells Marios, Zeldas, things like that - i.e. a store that many, many people will be browsing the 'shelves' of - would likely be an attractive proposition.

I don't know anything about these 16-digit codes, but that's the beauty of digital distribution - you don't need to track down a copy of a game in a store near you or anything like that. As long as one store, somewhere on the internet, is selling codes for the game you want, you can get a copy of it.

I like going to the store and browsing whenever I grab a game if DD's take over completely then all I will look forward to is purchasing Ninty download points and memory card shopping and constant card swapping, corruption and redownloading and no bargain bin discounts or ebay selling...
NOOOOOOO!! sounds like hell

I can imagine this sort of thing going forward meaning the end of "risky" games going to some regions and not others. If that means that there is less caution about releasing games like Excitebots, Disaster, The Last Story, Xenoblade or Tatsunoku vs Capcom across all regions then I'm all for it. If it means that I can get a game like Henry Hatsworth on a whim without having to hunt it down then even better.

I can't see myself not buying boxed copies of the next big Mario or Zelda and I'd still rather have the box if the download was cheaper. However if it's a choice between buying a game I want NOW or waiting/hunting for it I know what I'm picking.

Most likley yes. This also means games that will be hard to find should becomes easier. An example is tales of veroeria for 360 is somewhat hard to find and expensive but I can buy the game for $30 off of xbox live.

Yes - this is exactly what I'm talking about. As mentioned above, it's not to say that a boxed copy is out of the question - if the digital version sells well, it may entice publishers to release a retail copy at a later date if they think that there is a big enough market for it.

It's already happening on the PS3 with Warriors Orochi 3 and One Piece: Pirate Warriors, and on the Xbox 360 with Deathsmiles X2. I imagine this'll become common practice soon enough. Jame's Idea is what XSEED has been doing for a while now on the PSP. I see no reason why it shouldn't happen with the 3DS and Wii U.

Word is the max size for an eShop game is 512 MB (or half a GB), and that's plenty for the eShop to become a viable spot for retail-sized games. Maybe not every single one, but enough to make it worthwhile.

That aside, while I do hope this means more games can make the voyage to the West, I also hope that publishers don't abandon retail altogether en masse. I don't like the idea of making a $30+ investment in a game and not being able to "return" it or "trade it in" for some cash towards another game. I hate it when I waste $5 on a bad DSiWare or eShop game; I'd lose it if that happened to me with $30 all at once. However, if Nintendo offered a deal on the eShop where you could have a game permanently removed from your 3DS and get a partial refund (maybe 25%-33% minimum) and/or drastically improved the availability of demos, I'd feel better about retail downloads.

That actually sounds like a good idea. I'd love to see some more obscure JPN games (lesser known RPGs for instance) to be able to come over here thanks to a lack of mark up and all that. I'd love that.

It's actually happening with the release of Unchained Blades. It's a retail RPG in Japan (for both 3DS and PSP), but over here it's being released digital only (for both platforms).

How would you feel if Nintendo released Fire Emblem: Awakening only on eShop? Would you be angry about that? I wouldn't, but I'm sure the purist fans feel otherwise.

That would be a horrible reason to not get a game

granted, if they were mad because of the lack of popularity of downloadable games on Nintendo consoles or something like that and thinking the game would sell poorly because of that, that would make sense

http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/122/1223941p1.html

There are alot of smaller 3DS games.. Pilotwings and Steel Diver for instance.. both around 100 MB..