Boxed games and discs: “Kill them with fire” says Torchlight dev
James Pickard March 16, 2012 - 3:17 pmNews: Runic Games CEO, Max Schaefer, cannot wait for the games industry to fully embrace digital distribution and put an end to physical copies of games.
It may look like were heading towards a future free of physical copies of games, especially if rumours about the next Xbox are to be believed. And it seems the quicker the games industry gets there, the better, at least for Runic Games CEO and Torchlight developer Max Schaefer.
“I’ll get in trouble for this…” he begins, getting himself ready to deliver a headline worthy quote, “…but I look forward to the end of boxes and disks. Kill them with fire for all I care.”
There it is!
Whilst Torchlight was made available at retail, it has had a much larger presence on digital platforms such as Steam and then with its 2011 re-release on the Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Where does Schaefer’s disdain for physical copies of games come from, though? Apparently, it’s the retailers that sell them.
“The retail market has historically starved developers and narrowed the market for available games. Now we need to take advantage of services like Steam with innovative pricing, business models, and games,” he suggested whilst speaking to Gaming Nexus.
While it’s true that digital platforms like Steam have done wonders for smaller titles, completely losing gaming’s physical presence on the high street is something many are understandably worried about. It’s a fear only emphasised even more so with GAME’s recent financial troubles.
The team at Runic are busy putting the finishing touches to Torchlight II right now for a 2012 release. We’ll be following its progress here at BeefJack, so keep an eye out for all the latest Torchlight II news.
