Fewer PC retail games available

[decaro]

Recently, Matrix remarked that it's become very difficult to get their titles into retail stores.

How true. I was in GameStop the other day; while watching the number of PC games shrink on the shelf, the clerk explained that the chain is only buying new releases that the store thinks will sell well, otherwise you'd have to order (less popular titles) on-line.

The only new title I saw was Empire TW.

[leastonh1]

Yes, you're right. I gave up buying games from high street shops a while ago for this reason. It's not that long ago where I could choose any number of shops in my local town to visit and be sure of a good selection of PC games, including a number of Matrix titles I've bought like this over the years. Those days are gone. Most shops in the UK now tend to concentrate solely on the consoles. The PC games are relegated to a tiny section in the back of the shop. Sad, but true. Interestingly, the online version of these shops tend to have pretty much any PC title available to buy. I'm thinking specifically of Game and GameStation in the UK.

[JudgeDredd]

Agree totally...PC games in shops are dying. I was in there just recently getting the Empire Total War and it's lucky that was out, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to spend my gift card in-store!
 
As it is, I've told people not to get me Game vouchers as there is seldom anything in there worth buying!

[Zakhal]

Interestingly, the online version of these shops tend to have pretty much any PC title available to buy. I'm thinking specifically of Game and GameStation in the UK.

I think its because its more expensive to reserve shelfspace for games from gameshop than from som cheap warehouse where online stores keep their games.

PC games are dying because its way too easy to d/l them for free nowadays. It was never this easy before. I could have d/l total war for free 7 days ago in 10 minutes if I had wanted but I choose to buy it instead. But Im sure most are not going to choose similarily.

You can d/l console games for free too but its harder because you must mod/flash the console, have pc to d/l the games, burn the games and then risk loosing online rights i.e live just incase somthing goes wrong. And at worst you could loose the whole console if you dont know what youre doing.

In PC you just d/l the game in 10 minutes, mount it in 2 minutes and youre ready to install/play.

And the court system is a joke. They cant close the d/l sites or prosecute the d/lers. Its like people have right to d/l games for free. Its like communism where everything is shared.

[Lützow]

Franky, I won't shed a tear when all those shooters, rts and action-rpg's finally disappear from pc platform, as the industry tires of piracy.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Jim_H

... Interestingly, the online version of these shops tend to have pretty much any PC title available to buy.

But older titles are available only in digital download.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Zakhal
.... And the court system is a joke. They cant close the d/l sites or prosecute the d/lers. Its like people have right to d/l games for free. Its like communism where everything is shared.

Recently I bought a new strategy game at a retail store; not only did the clerk have to find the game disk for me, but he also had to retrieve the game's activation code; the store actually cut the activation code out of the game's manual as some players were "borrowing" these codes to activate their own pirated copies.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.
Recently I bought a new strategy game at a retail store; not only did the clerk have to find the game disk for me, but he also had to retrieve the game's activation code; the store actually cut the activation code out of the game's manual as some players were "borrowing" these codes to activate their own pirated copies.

AFAIK they kept only empty boxes on the shelfs in 90s allready due to people stealing the insides. But even that didnt stop all since som got to work in a gamestore and used the advantige to steal/copy the games.

Nowadays codes are only needed in som multiplayer games like those in steam, unless the game has pirated servers (even WoW has pirated servers). Singleplayer games dont really need them, since they can just use cracks which are freely available in the net.

[Greybriar]

I think it has always been a little difficult to get some PC games into brick and mortar retail stores. Retailers have limited shelf space available and over the past several years the percentage of that space devoted to PC games has shrunk greatly. I was in a Best Buy store two days ago and there was only a row and a half of PC games. Ten years ago there was ten times that. Since PC war games aren't everyone's cup of tea, it's no surprise retailers aren't all that interested in using their precious shelf space to display them.

But it doesn't matter much to me anymore. I seldom drive to a store and buy my PC games. I order most of them from an online store. Not only do I save time and money for gas, but the online prices are cheaper--and I'm talking about retail boxed PC games, not downloads. I have never purchased a downloaded game, only the boxed versions.

[V22 Osprey]

I could care less about FPS,RTS, and RPGs.....as long as wargames are still around on the PC online thats good enough for me.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Franky, I won't shed a tear when all those shooters, rts and action-rpg's finally disappear from pc platform, as the industry tires of piracy.

I've read something about ridiculous copy protection systems fueling the piracy. When there are no more games with copy protections that will mess up computers, I'll feel whole lot better, and might even buy new PC games too. In the meantime, SPWAW FTW!

[Zakhal]

DRM can be nasty but it doesnt have much of effect on piracy. There are many games released without copy protection and yet they are pirated all-around. World of goo is a good example, it doesnt have any DRM yet it had 90% piracy rate.

Online games have best cp protection and it shows in their success:

In online gaming for example, the use of serial numbers for verification of ownership has been very successful in reducing the incentive to pirate them. This is one of the secrets behind World of Warcraft's success which has 11 million subscribers, and also the reason for the sales success of predominantly online games such as EA's Battlefield series which has sold 17 million copies.

Good article on the subject:

The Culture of Piracy

In researching this article I read literally hundreds of articles, studies, forum posts, blog posts and general comments from a wide range of people. What disturbed me more than the blatant misinformation and falsehoods regarding various aspects of the debate was the unashamed 'Culture of Piracy' which now appears to be prevalent around the Internet. Not only are the people who are pirating games openly bragging about it, they're flowering it up with a range of excuses, even suggesting that it's their right to do so.

Back in the 1980s when my friends and I swapped copies of Amiga games, we didn't blame the copy protection for forcing us to do it, we didn't blame copyright laws, or assume it was our right to copy any game we want in the name of 'freedom', we didn't even make a point of openly advertising that we did it. We copied games for one simple reason: because we could.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and piracy has apparently somehow become a political struggle, a fight against greedy corporations and evil copy protection, and in some cases, I've even seen some people refer to the rise of piracy as a "revolution". What an absolute farce. Truth be told I have the greatest respect for the people who simply come out and just say that they pirate because they can, no more, no less. At least then I know I'm dealing with someone who's being honest and has got their head screwed on straight.

Piracy is the result of human nature: when faced with the option of getting something for free or paying for it, and in the absence of any significant risks, you don't need complex economic studies to show you that most people will opt for the free route. However to back this up, the data presented in this article shows quite clearly that DRM or no DRM, good game or bad game, demo or no demo, available via Steam or not, cheap or expensive, whether sold by an independent or a major publisher - all games are being pirated on a massive scale. The most significant determinant of which games will get pirated more is how desirable they are. No surprises there.

http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_10.html

[DuckofTindalos]

Not my experience. The ratio of PC to console games on sale in the shops has been more or less constant here for several years.

[bink]

I thought Matrix didn't want retail distribution??
 
If they in fact do, one retailer that sells independent PC games is J&R Music World in NYC.  For example, they carry a good selection of HPS Simulations games, and usually get new releases in very quickly.
 
I would love to be able to walk in and buy the games directly (although J&R offers the games for sale on-line as well).
 
 

[Phatguy]

Funny thing is the best store for PC games these days is Best Buy..At least the physical store not the online store.

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: Terminus
Not my experience. The ratio of PC to console games on sale in the shops has been more or less constant here for several years.

A guess that might be dependent on location. Certainly in the game stores near me there has been a continual decline in the number of PC titles available.

Personally, I think the whole concept of a retail game store, both PC and console is outdated anyway.. certainly if I owned one I'd be looking to get out. Same with CD and DVD, I think within a decade virtually everything will be sold by online distribution exclusively, anyway. DRM will become a big question, then, even more so than it is now. I accept that some form of DRM may be necessary but at the moment I'm very much drawing the line. For example, I recently bought DCS: Black Shark, which has a pretty standard online activation system, which I have no problem with. On ethe other hand Storm Eagle's Jutland, a game I really quite fancy, has a system I consider totally unacceptable even if their customer service in regards to problems with it was rather better than it is reported to be in some quarters.

[JudgeDredd]

**off topic**
How are you finding DCS Black Shark Hertston?
 
I too bought it and think it's bloody difficult but there is alot of game in there and it's very atmospheric. I had one mission where I had to escort a unit from A to B (early in the campaign) I was staying pretty close but ahead to check out the valleys etc. Turns out the forces were ambushed behind me! When I finally worked out what was going on and where the preverbial was hitting the fan, there wasn't alot left!
**end off topic**
 
I used to go to my local Electronique Boutique store (then to Game when they changed hands) every Friday to see what new games were out...I always looked forward to a Friday lunchtime. Now, it's never worth it. Either it's the same old crap or it's a new game but, well...the same old crap!

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

**off topic**
How are you finding DCS Black Shark Hertston?

I too bought it and think it's bloody difficult but there is alot of game in there and it's very atmospheric. I had one mission where I had to escort a unit from A to B (early in the campaign) I was staying pretty close but ahead to check out the valleys etc. Turns out the forces were ambushed behind me! When I finally worked out what was going on and where the preverbial was hitting the fan, there wasn't alot left!
**end off topic**

**still off topic**

Superb game IMHO, everything that should be there is there. Although I fear it will be months before I get any good at it; historically I'm lousy with sim helicopters with more complicated flight characteristics than those in 'Gunship 2000'. I know the Mrs has bought me rudder peddles as a birthday present, which I wanted originally for X-Plane and FSX, but obviously they'll come in very handy with Black Shark as well.

**back to on-topic*

I used to go to my local Electronique Boutique store (then to Game when they changed hands) every Friday to see what new games were out...I always looked forward to a Friday lunchtime. Now, it's never worth it. Either it's the same old crap or it's a new game but, well...the same old crap!

Exactly the same experience in both local 'Game' stores. I suppose I can't really complain as most full-price new releases I'd buy for £10 cheaper from amazon, anyway. I still pop in occasionally to check out the two for £15 stuff, I discovered Steel Fury that way and some odd stuff does crop up from time to time that I've bought, like MSFS add-ons and the U-Boat Missions expansion for SH4.

[Goblin]

Almost every game store within an easy drive of my house is the same. Some went from an entire wall of shelves for PC games down to one shelf of PC games. There are one or two that don't have any PC games at all.



Goblin

[Lützow]

Black Shark looks interesting, but sadly comes with Starforce copy protection.