Sony hopes to capitalize even further on the success of PlayStation Network and the surge in popularity of downloadable games by making them available in stores across Europe.
Revealed at GDC 2011 last week, Sony claimed a 70 percent boost in revenue from the PSN and now hopes to trial a programme at retailers across Europe – similar to the deal it has with GameStop in the U.S, who currently sell some PSN games in store.
Speaking with U.K. trade magazine MCV, SCEE President Andrew House said:
“We would like to work with the right retail partners in Europe under the right model, to undertake the same sort of activity.”
It’s likely that these games won’t be packaged products, but selected retailers will sell the codes to gamers enabling them to download the titles directly from the PSN. The upside is that those without the purchasing power to buy PSN content by card can pay by cash for their downloadable content; and in shops like GAME, you’d also collect Reward points for any purchases. The downside is that it could cost you a little more in store than if you download directly from PSN.
40 GAME shops in the U.K. have recently begun a similar programme with Microsoft, selling a selection of Xbox LIVE Arcade titles.