GetGames, a New Digital Distribution Service Has Been Born

Steam has really begun to cash in on the digital distribution market, and, with its soaring profits, new companies are eager to get in on the action. As such, a new digital download service has been born and it's called Get Games. The British distributor is a joint venture of Rupert Loman, the managing director of Eurogamer Network, and Andy Payne, Mastertronic's chairman. The first title to be made available by the site was Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, developed by Croteam and produced in association with Devolver Digital, the new Austin, Tex. company. Devolver Digital was made by former Mike Wilson and Harry Miller, the former heads of Gamecock, and by Graeme Struthers.

Even if Loman is involved in the “co-op,” his own company, Eurogamer Network, will be operating independently, with its own people. What Loman does expect from his Eurogamer is to provide for its six million users and turn them into customers.

Get Games won't just deal with the blockbuster titles, but will also provide plenty of older games and indie titles. “We've already signed most of the major publishers, alongside some independent developers too. And they are particularly excited that we have a network of websites in 10 European languages and will be taking Get Games across the continent very soon,” Loman said.

Steam may be the king of the market right now, but that doesn't scare the new service in any way. If anything, it believes that the only thing that Steam does is to prove that the digital distribution market is ripe for the taking. Loman explained that, “The most exciting thing for me is to see console content starting to be purchased via the web – which is still a more intuitive place to buy content than places like PlayStation Network.”

Digital distribution is indeed the new thing, and it's starting to become more and more popular. The concept was very well received in America and in Europe as well, though to a smaller degree here. But another large gaming market, Japan, has been less inclined to abandon its boxed games.