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DoctorFinger
02-03-2009, 12:22 PM
Amazon is getting into the direct to download games business.

Beginning today, the online retail giant has opened up an online store to sell games to go alongside their extant digital movies, music and books business. The Amazon Game Download service (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Games/b/ref=sa_menu_gdown2?ie=UTF8&node=979455011&pf_rd_p=328655101&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=08574T9S5DD8YB9A38KP) will focus, at least in the beginning, on more casual games. To help promote the service they're offering - for a limited time - three free games:


Jewel Quest II, a matching puzzle game
Build-a-lot, a house building simulation game
The Scruffs, a seek-and-find object game
Games range in price from $6.99 to $9.99. All games also have free trial versions, so you can play before you buy. Most (hell, almost all) of the games are basic casual games, the kind PopCap churns out, so at least in the beginning don't expect epic action titles. As you'd expect, the games all have very low hardware requirements.

For now the service is Windows only, but Amazon says they're working on getting Mac versions up and running.

Wraith
02-03-2009, 12:27 PM
See also: http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=5399

As I mentioned there, Amazon is probably a great way for publishers to reach casual gamers, who may not be using services that the core gamer is already familiar with, like Steam or GameTap.

Dukefrukem
02-03-2009, 12:28 PM
Very cool.

DoctorFinger
02-03-2009, 01:02 PM
I'm going to close this and direct everyone to the thread Wraith noted (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=5399).