Microsoft defends staggered, full price Games on Demand release model
"Why change something you don't need to?"
Xbox 360's current Games on Demand strategy, which sees full retail games offered as downloads at full price around six months after they arrive in physical stores, is successful and here to stay, so says Microsoft.
Speaking in an interview with MCV, Xbox Live UK product manager Pav Bhardwaj explained that as the model currently works well, Microsoft sees no reason to follow Sony's lead of offering a simultaneous digital release on launch day.
"It comes down to choice," said Bhardwaj.
"The customer has the choice of going to retail on day one if they really want to buy a particular title, or to wait a couple of months and buy it full price from the Xbox Live marketplace.
"It's a successful part of our business, we're very pleased with the growth and it continues to do really well. Clearly there's an audience out there who are happy to purchase a product at full ERP six or so months after [its retail release].
"We don't do Games on Demand on day one, we focus on boxed retail for day one. That's where our focus has always been and will remain that way for the foreseeable future," he continued.
"It's a successful model, so why change something you don't need to?"
