Eddie, Jason, and Kyle talk retail, resale, and digital distribution in the latest VS Node Podcast.
Eddie Inzauto, Jason Fanelli, and GamerNode contributor Kyle Stallock cover a number of topics ranging from racism, to Twitter, to console price wars and the business of videogames, finally settling into a discussion of the various methods of videogame distribution, their importance and implications, and the future of videogame sales.
00:00 – Welcome! Introductions.
01:19 – What we’ve been playing. Wolfenstein. Street Fighter IV. BlazBlue. Electronic masturbation. The Beatles: Rock Band, Scribblenauts.
04:46 – Scribblenauts word list. 5th Cell response. “Sambo” racism.
06:46 – Twitter in Uncharted 2.
07:37 – Mag Beta. “OMG, IT’S LIKE CALL OF DUTY, BUT MORE PEOPLE!”
08:26 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle.
09:12 – Forza 3 and Halo 3: ODST Xbox 360 bundles.
10:02 – Kyle’s tales of the Red Rings of Death and other Xbox 360 problems.
11:32 – Wii price cut confirmed(?) by Toys R Us ad. “The day the toys died.”
13:09 – Tatsunoko vs. Capcom new characters confirmed. “I’ve covered wars, you know.”
14:40 – Bobby Kotick the a-hole, Activision, and the business of games.
20:04 – Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero 5.
20:41 – Blockbuster closing stores.
21:00 – Adult film industry pushing to be in PlayStation Store.
22:09 – Dumb Batman: Arkham Asylum pirates and developer response. “…a bug in your moral code.”
24:23 – Videogame sales and distribution discussion.
24:44 – How/where do you buy your games?
30:37 – Game store employees. The government agent/military medic GameStop associate.
38:23 – Have most/many gamers made a switch to digital?
39:45 – Who won’t change? Why?
42:22 – How the casual shift creates divergent sales trends?
43:07 – Digital downloads and bank accounts. Retail cards for digital products.
48:52 – Are preowned sales hurting the videogame industry? Should this change?
53:38 – Apple’s game sales model. Inexpensive. Reaching a mass market vs. hitting sales goals.
55:00 – Videogames following music? Spreading the wealth within the industry.
58:01 – Kyle’s elegant and low-cost “a la carte” solution. Eddie’s sliding price scale.
59:57 – Is the consumer the problem?
61:42 – Budget differences and return on investment.
64:29 – Passion vs. profits. Franchise investments vs. short-term strategy.
65:53 – The future of videogame distribution. Our models.
72:37 – Forward-thinking. Remember broadband’s infancy.
73:45 – Kanye West chimes in. Thanks and outro.
Intro music, Main Theme from 5th Cell’s Scribblenauts, 2009. “Come Together” by The Beatles, 1969.
Links:
GamerNode’s Scribblenauts review – Scribblenauts
Kyle Stallock’s Ludic Dreams – http:/www.ludicdreams.com
Eddie’s Twitter – http:/www.twitter.com/italianbreadman
Jason’s Twitter – http:/www.twitter.com/bigmanfanelli
Kyle’s Twitter – http:/www.twitter.com/coyotegrey
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