Sony may begin selling PlayStation 4 systems with digital copies of select Activision games already loaded onto them so they are ready for purchase, according to Baird analyst Colin Sebastian.
In a Baird investors note sent out recapping developments at E3, the possibility of preloaded games is brought up. “One point of interest from our conversations at the show is the possibility that Sony may preload digital copies of Destiny and Diablo on all PS4 consoles beginning this fall (users still can choose whether to purchase), which should drive higher sell-through for Activision, but at the cost of retail sales,” it states.
In other words, it sounds as if the games would be downloaded to the systems’ hard drives but would still need to be purchased like usual. This would presumably be done in order to encourage purchases of the games, and to spare new PS4 owners the trouble of downloading them–something which is an insignificant hurdle for some, but a major impediment for others due to slow Internet connections and data caps. And, for those who do decide to purchase a digital copy rather than a physical one, this would have the added benefit to Activision of disallowing these people from ever selling their copies of these games.
GameSpot has reached out to both Sony and Activision regarding these potential plans but has not received a response as of press time.
While Call of Duty’s downloadable content continues to come to Xbox platforms first (as it has for several years now), at least one of Activision’s most important games, Destiny, has been positioned as a PlayStation-oriented game. It’s frequently featured in PS4 commercials, the ongoing alpha test is available only on PS4, next month’s beta launches first on PS4 and PS3, exclusive content is coming to PS4 and PS3, and a white PS4 bundle that includes a copy of the game will be available in September. For its part, developer Bungie says it isn’t favoring PlayStation over Xbox.
As for Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition, it was originally slated for release on PS4 but not Xbox One, although we now know it’ll be coming to both. However, the PlayStation versions will have exclusive content centered around PlayStation exclusives The Last of Us and Shadow of the Colossus.
Would having games available on the hard drive right out of the box make you any more inclined to purchase a digital copy? Let us know in the comments below.
| Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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