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{{short description|none}}
{{About||other uses|Digital distribution}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=
{{Video game industry}}
In the [[video game industry]], digital distribution is the process of delivering [[video game]] content as digital information, without the exchange or purchase of new physical media such as [[ROM cartridge]]s, [[magnetic storage]], [[optical disc]]s and [[flash memory]] cards. This process has existed since the early 1980s, but it was only with network advancements in bandwidth capabilities in the early 2000s that digital distribution became more prominent as a method of selling games. Currently, the process is dominated by [[Digital distribution|online distribution]] over [[Internet access|broadband Internet]].
To facilitate the sale of games, various video game publishers and console manufacturers have created their own platforms for digital distribution. These platforms
Digital distribution of video games is becoming increasingly common, with major publishers and retailers paying more attention to digital sales, including [[Steam (service)|Steam]], [[PlayStation Store]], [[Amazon.com]], [[Game (retailer)|GAME]], [[GameStop]], [[Xbox Live Marketplace]], and others.
==History==
===1980s===
Before Internet connections became widespread, there were few services for digital distribution of games, and physical media was the dominant method of delivering video games. One of the first examples of digital distribution in video games was [[GameLine]], which operated during the early 1980s. The service allowed [[Atari 2600]] owners to use a specialized cartridge to connect through a [[Telephone line|phone line]] to a central server and rent a video game for 5–10 days. The GameLine service was terminated during the [[North American video game crash of 1983|video game crash of 1983]]. From 1987 to 2003, [[Nintendo|Nintendo's]] Japan-only [[Family Computer Disk System#Disk Writer and Disk Fax kiosks|Disk Writer kiosks]] allowed users to copy from a [[jukebox]] style of rotating stock of the latest games to their [[
===1990s===
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====PC====
An early innovator of the digital distribution idea on the [[Personal computer|PC]] was [[Stardock]]. In 2001 Stardock released the [[Stardock Central]] to digitally distribute and sell its own [[Personal computer|PC]] titles, followed by a service called ''Drengin.net'' with a yearly subscription pay model in summer 2003. In 2004, the subscription model was substituted by ''TotalGaming.net'' which allowed individual purchases or pay an upfront fee for tokens which allowed them to purchase games at a discount. In 2008, Stardock announced [[Impulse (software)|Impulse]] a third-generation digital distribution platform, which included independent third-party games and major publisher titles.<ref name="ImpulseGoal">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1180761|title=Stardock Impulse Details|website=Gamers With Jobs}}</ref> The platform was sold to [[GameStop]] in May 2011.<ref name="GameStopAcquisition">{{cite web|url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=130125&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1544860 |title=GameStop Announces Acquisition of Spawn Labs and Agreement to Acquire Impulse, Inc. |publisher=GameStop|date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2011}}</ref><ref name="JoystiqAcquisition">{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/gamestop-indulges-in-some-impulse-buying-no-seriously-it-bo/|title=GameStop indulges in some Impulse buying ... no seriously, it bought Impulse (and Spawn Labs)|first=Christopher|last=Grant|work=[[Joystiq]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=March 31, 2011|access-date=May 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131154411/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/gamestop-indulges-in-some-impulse-buying-no-seriously-it-bo/|archive-date=January 31, 2015|url-status=dead
The period between 2004 and now saw the rise of many digital distribution services on PC, such as [[Amazon.com#Amazon Publishing|Amazon Digital Services]], [[Impulse (software)|Impulse]], [[GameTap]], [[GameStop]], [[Games for Windows – Live]], [[Origin (service)|Origin]], [[Battle.net]], [[Direct2Drive]], [[GOG.com]], [[GamersGate]] and several more. The offered properties and policies differ significantly between the digital distribution services: e.g. while most of the digital distributors don't allow reselling of bought games, ''[[Green Man Gaming]]'' allows this.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/green-man-gaming-denies-it-sells-grey-market-game-/1100-6432325/|title=Green Man Gaming Denies It Sells "Grey Market" Game Keys|access-date=August 14, 2020}}</ref>
In
In 2008, the website ''[[gog.com]]'' (formerly called ''Good Old Games'') was started, specialized in the distribution of older, classical PC games. While all the other DD services allow various forms of DRM (or even have them embedded) ''gog.com'' has a strict [[Digital rights management|non-DRM]] policy.<ref name="arspreview">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/09/first-look-gog-revives-classic-pc-games-for-download-age.ars |title=First look: GOG revives classic PC games for download age |access-date=December 27, 2012 |first=Frank|last=Caron |date=September 9, 2008 |publisher=Ars Technica |quote=''[...] [Good Old Games] focuses on bringing old, time-tested games into the downloadable era with low prices and no DRM.''}}</ref> [[Desura]] was launched in 2010. The service was notable for having a strong support of the [[Mod (gaming)|modding]] community and also has an [[Open-source software|open source]] client, called ''Desurium''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTA0NjI | title = Desura Game Client Is Now Open-Source | first = Michael | last = Larabel | date = January 21, 2012 | access-date = January 21, 2012 | publisher = [[Phoronix]] }}</ref> [[Origin (service)|Origin]], a new version of the [[Electronic Arts]] online store, was released in 2011 in order to compete with Steam and other digital distribution platforms on the PC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investor.ea.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=ERTS&fileid=475188&filekey=6d4ea4b7-0389-4c68-964f-af21a86c5a7d&filename=E3_2011_IR_Breakfast_-_6-8_-_small_file_size.pdf |title=PDF E3 2011 Investor Presentation |access-date=April 26, 2012 |publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]}}</ref>
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== Implications ==
{{Original research|date=May 2022}}
The main advantages of digital distribution over the previously dominant [[Video game retailer|retail]] distribution of video games include significantly reduced production, deployment, and storage costs. Games purchased digitally are legally licenses and not sold, meaning consumers do not have legal ownership and cannot resell their games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Bill |date=October 2, 2019
Compared to physically distributed games, digital games cannot be destroyed because they can be redownloaded from the distribution system. Services like Steam, [[Origin (service)|Origin]], and [[Xbox Live]] do not offer ways to sell used games once they are no longer desired. Steam offers a non-commercial family sharing options.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 13, 2015 |title=Steam family sharing |url=http://store.steampowered.com/promotion/familysharing |access-date=March 13, 2015 |publisher=steampowered.com}}</ref> This is also somewhat countered by frequent sales offered by these digital distributors, often allowing major savings by selling at prices below what a retailer is able to offer.
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==List of video game digital distribution systems==
===Console
*[[Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store]]
*[[Nintendo eShop]]
*[[PlayStation Store]]
===Mobile
*[[Amazon Appstore]]
*[[Apple App Store]]
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*[[Huawei AppGallery]]
*[[Samsung Galaxy Store]]
*[[TapTap]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cranmer |first=Brandon |date=
===PC - Websites
*[[Big Fish Games]]
*[[Direct2Drive]]
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*[[Game Jolt]]
*[[GamersGate]]<ref name=":0" />
*[[GOG.com]]<ref name=":0" />▼
*[[Green Man Gaming]]<ref name=":0" />
*[[Itch.io]]<ref name=":0" />▼
*[[Metaboli]]
*[[Newgrounds]]
====DRM-free====
▲*[[GOG.com]]<ref name=":0" />
*[[Humble Store]]
▲*[[Itch.io]]<ref name=":0" />
*Zoom Platform<ref>{{cite web |title=ZOOM Platform - DRM-free Games. Retro re-releases and more! |url=https://www.zoom-platform.com/ |website=ZOOM Platform |language=en}}</ref>
PC - Clients:
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| {{Yes}}
| < 1,400
|-
|[[GOG Galaxy|Gog Galaxy]]
|{{Flagicon|Poland}} [[CD Projekt|CD Projekt S.A.]]
|{{Yes}}
| > 7,000
|-
| [[Microsoft Store]]
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| {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Valve Corporation]]
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| [[Ubisoft Connect]]
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*[[Sega Channel]] (July 31, 1998)
*[[Wii Shop Channel]] (January 30, 2019)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/reminder-wii-shop-closes-january-30-2019/|title=Reminder: Wii Shop closes January 30, 2019 - Nintendo Official Site|website=www.nintendo.com|access-date=June 14, 2019|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228143940/https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/reminder-wii-shop-closes-january-30-2019/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Xbox Games Store]] (October
== See also ==
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