
The videogame retailer giant announced today that they will start selling downloadable content for videogames next year.
Paul Raines, Chief Operating Officer, uncovered the company's plan at the BMO Capital Markets Digital Entertainment Conference in New York. He noted that full game downloads are not possible for now, but in the meantime, the company is pushing forward selling extra downloadable content for any physical games its stores sell.
Once this goes into effect, customers can purchase digital content at the store and it will be waiting for them at home, on either their Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network accounts. This is a huge first step toward keeping retail shops alive as games gravitate toward digital download-only format, but it still falls behind Amazon and their PlayStation store department.
As soon as they are able to offer selling full digital downloads of games, imagine how easy it will be for parents and grandparents who know little about games to buy download-only games as gifts. Not only them, but the non-internet savvy as well. On top of that, it could boost PSPgo sales.
Okay, I'm probably stretching things a bit too far, but the future digital sales could definitely start people thinking about the convenience of having all of their games on a single memory stick, and how easy it is to walk into a store, purchase it, and find it waiting for them the next time they sign into the PSN.