Penny Arcade Launches Digital Distribution Site

This is one of my worst fears about the PC gaming industry. It's already in a decline, and now the way in which we get our games is becoming fractured into all these different digital distribution systems. I mean how many are there right now and how many are being planned? Exclusivity of games to specific distributors is going to suck and hurt this platform even more. If it goes the way I'm thinking it's going to drive even more gamers away from the PC to consoles.

One thing I really dread about the future is trying to remember which of my 20 content delivery programs has the game I currently want to play. Why can't these people just work things out with Valve for better profits? Ask for more share of the pie or something, forget forcing more programs down my neck.

I was checking to see if it was April 1st still. Personally I think they are out of their element. In fact I'd be surprised if their game sells well. It seems pretty niche. I don't wish them ill, but I don't see much happening from this.

Meh. Can't steam do all this?

they should stick to shitty comics and leave online distribution to Steam

their game now has even less chance of succeeding, congratulation's.

Hey commenters:

I just want to say thanks to those of you who are sticking around to clarify other people's "omg its more steam" posts by doing things like providing more information and linking to more sources like the Wired interview.

I like all of you, and that is all.

My only concern is will this new distribution system have a feature that I can bitch about incessantly for the next 1-2 years in order to invalidate any value the system may have.

Hoping to add a little bit of clarity to this debate, here's an excerpt from a Wired interview concerning the greenhouse announcement:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/exclusive-inter.html

"We know how this works out for you and Hothead, but how does it work out for gamers? With things like Steam and GameTap already in place, why does the world need another competing digital distribution system?

Tycho: Greenhouse isn't an application by any means. It's similar to the store we have for posters or shirts or whatever; it just happens to sell videogames instead. So we're not asking somebody to install the Greenhouse client and then keep it updated or whatever. It's just that as a fully independent project, we need to retain control from end to end.

Gabe: Also, the only reason that there is a Penny Arcade and that we're able to do this stuff is that because people trust us and even agree with us on a lot of occasions, so the opportunity for us to go out and find some independent games that might not have seen the light of day otherwise, or might have slipped between the cracks -- to help promote those, and get out via Greenhouse, I think that people will like to see what we have found."

I wonder how they'll handle DRM, if in fact they do have some sort of DRM? Part of what makes Steam so appealing (imo) is that it's DRM scheme is about as unintrusive as you can get while still being effective.

I see the internet has evolved past the old childish-hate-for-Steam phase and into the childish-hate-for-things-like-Steam-that-aren't-Steam phase.

We're making progress though. Cool!

This kind of stuff is going to kill pc Indie development. Too many online distributors. Quick, out of the dozens or so that have sprung up in the past few years, how many are still around? Didn't 3drealms try this? Didn't gamespy have something like this?

Psst. While Linux certainly do run on a multitude of platforms, PC is the primary for desktop users. Really, it should read: "for Windows, Mac and Linux".

so, how long until they switch to steam?

Parlaying a 'meh' internet comic strip into an online digital distribution enterprise. I honestly didn't see that coming. Really. Wow.

It's nice seeing the little guy get a distribution service to call their own. If gamers really want indie games then they'll buy them. But if they're looking for something a little more "refined" and main stream, well they might end up looking towards services like Steam.

Lets hope they can pull this off.

I don't know if it's a completely awful idea because they want to give smaller titles higher visibility. If the market for games that don't make it to Steam is large enough, it might do ok. I have no idea what that market is like though.

Figured I'd just buy this on xbox live.

Oh well power to the digital distribution people !

yeah this is not gonna take off.

this kind of dualist thinking doesn't belong in this century