Retail or Digital Download Tough choiceFollow

I think Sony needs to get a new marketing manager. Lets take a look at this Digital Download 29.99 goes into Sony's wallet you get a spirit shroud. Retail Sony splits 29.99 with retailers,
distripution suppliers, and the cost of production materials, you get the same spirit shroud and a bonus clockwork mount.

You're also assuming bandwith is free.

then buy retail if you think it's better value. there is no problem.

Aside from fearing that all your local software stores will be sold out the day you want to hit the expansion, I can't think of a single reason to buy digital. Even as far as having the most recent version, anyone can download the expansion whenever they want and just use the retail box key instead of buying a digital key.

this is another example of the inetpness (I can think of worse words...keeping the "G" rating) of the SOE Staff.

Here is a product that you have NO need for inventory or shipping or even manufacturing. Just have everyone buy it on-line and your cost is....essentially ZERO! No need to make the CDs, print the accompnying material, ship it via UPS, Fed Ex, or whatver, and no need to bill the retailers. No retailers at all! All the cost is in the on-line equipment, and nop middlemen. Just give the people who buy it on-line nice gimmicks to make them feel loved,, and SOE will clean up.
So what do they do? make sure that you dont buy on-line, that they must make the disks, ship them, and pay people to deal with the inventory, shipping, and collections. C'mon, Sony. On-line sales are the big selling point of the internet. Give me a horse, bag, or big stick. I dont need more keychains.



one more note on Sony questionable intelligence...
There is a outlet mall near where I live, with a Sony store. went looking for a game card. Wal-mart was ot, the computer stores were out, so I drove the 30 miles to the Sony store. guess what. they dont carry any EQ merchandiese there. ? Had tons of PS stuff, other games, all PC. No EQ. Just odd as hell to me.

Edited, Mon Aug 15 15:21:20 2005 by jpstarcher

They keep selling the box, and make it more attractive to buy, in order to keep the retailers happy, who they probably see as key to getting new accounts.

That's EQ's version of the mechanical bull.

Free mount...need I say more. Saves me 9500pp on buying my necro a mount. Why they put that in the retail box instead of the download is beyond me. Had they switched them up then I can guess probably 99% of their consumers would have taken the digital download. Not to bright on their part.




Emmeline
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Rise of the Forsaken
Bertoxx

Not really. There typically isn't much to download on the day of release because they patch it in pieces for a couple of weeks leading up to release.

My best guess is that it's simply about advertising. When I look at the games section, I look at the backs of boxes and compare to other games, etc. I usually don't buy a game unless I've done a bit of research on it first, but the average person probably doesn't. That means including things like "exclusive clockwork boar mount" catches peoples eye. They buy the expansion. Then they realize they have to have the original EQ also... so they buy that. Then they buy a couple more expansions. Then someone tells them to just buy platinum edition. SOE rakes in.

Fallonn pretty much summed it up already.

I think it has something to do with an agreement with their distibutors. They have to make the store version more appealing so that people will buy them in a store even though it makes more sense for most people to download. A store wouldnt want tp carry it if they knew no one would buy it.

SOE answered this question a whileback. The retailers won't stock the game unless the game offers a bonus over the digital download. They need the retailers to stock it cause some people want the box version on release day, and the free advertising in store sales offers for browsing shoppers to pick up game for first time.