From Chaim Gartenberg, writing for The Verge:
…agreement that gives [Gamestop] a cut of every digital purchase made on any Xbox consoles it directly sells going forward.
So if you buy an Xbox from GameStop, GameStop gets a cut of the digital game sales for the lifetime of that console. Why? Did Microsoft realize GameStop would die if they only sold consoles and it's more beneficial to Xbox if GameStop exists?
This would be like buying an iPhone from Best Buy and then Best Buy gets a cut of app sales from those users. Why involve the retailer in this part of the value chain? I would think this would be an opportunity for Microsoft to have a tighter relationship between game developers and gamers — and cut out the retailers. There must be some kind of goodwill backroom kind of deal going on here.
My other theory is that Gamestop refused to stock the digital-only console since it wouldn't lead to physical sales, but that assumes GameStop has any bargaining power in this situation.
It sounds like GameStop is getting scraps when they used to get a full meal. Will it be enough to keep them from starving?
This would be like buying an iPhone from Best Buy and then Best Buy gets a cut of app sales from those users. Why involve the retailer in this part of the value chain? I would think this would be an opportunity for Microsoft to have a tighter relationship between game developers and gamers — and cut out the retailers. There must be some kind of goodwill backroom kind of deal going on here.
My other theory is that Gamestop refused to stock the digital-only console since it wouldn't lead to physical sales, but that assumes GameStop has any bargaining power in this situation.
It sounds like GameStop is getting scraps when they used to get a full meal. Will it be enough to keep them from starving?