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Stardock Launches Digital Distribution Store Impulse
by Aaron Linde and Chris Faylor, Jun 17, 2008 1:55pm PDTPublisher Stardock today announced the launch of Impulse, a new PC gaming digital distribution and retail platform for Windows XP and Windows Vista. Impulse is available for download now on the platform's official website.
"Impulse is a platform first, a store second. Our primary objective with Impulse is to address the issues users have with their Windows experience today," said Stardock CEO Brad Wardell.
Essentially rebranded version of the company's previous digital distribution solution Stardock Central, Impulse is bundled with today's retail release of Stardock's Political Machine 2008. All titles registered on a user's Stardock.net accounts are available via Impulse.
Supporting all types of PC software including games, applications and utilities, Impulse does not require its users to be online to play single-player titles. Stardock noted that it is currently working with Epic Games, THQ, Gas Powered Games, Ironclad Games, and several others in bringing software to Impulse.
The platform's online store currently features a variety of products and titles such as Ironclad Games' Sins of a Solar Empire, Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 3, and the first episode of Hothead Games' Penny Arcade Adventures. Stardock's own strategic presidential sim The Political Machine 2008 is also available.
The launch of Stardock's rebranded platform joins the growing ranks of PC-based digital distribution networks, including Valve's Steam and Hothead's Greenhouse.
Comments
Look, we've got EA Link (or whatever they are calling it), Direct2Drive, Steam, Greenhouse, Impulse, and others I have failed to mention. God only knows where games will end up. Well, there is ONE place where everything will end up; a very popular sheltered cove for buccaneers.
The publishers don't just sell to one brick and mortar chain only. EA doesn't sell their games exclusively through Wal-Mart. Activision doesn't go solely through Best Buy. I mean, who seriously buys games from EA online? It's a horrible experience. Seems to me everyone could be making a lot more money getting these titles onto every viable online distribution platform that is available, and let the consumers choose which they prefer.
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From ve3d:
"The Sins of a Solar Empire publisher is now officially in the digital distribution biz"
They are in the digital biz since 7-8 years ago!.
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Question: Can I make a backup that if, God forbid, Impulse and Stardock went out of business, I could still install and run my game from?
That's my one and only hangup about trying a new distribution system - and it's something Steam's not really immune from either
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The big positive that could come out of this: Hopefully it forces the Steam system to relax a little bit and be more offline friendly. Only time will tell.
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I'm just not sure how they possibly expect to compete with Steam. Competition is a good thing, and I love both companies, hopefully it'll cause them to compete with prices and make DD games drop in price more frequently.
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I'm kind of shameless.
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