Is The End Of The Boxed Version Near?

I certainly hope not.. However, with SI now taking the Steam-Only activation route, it surely can't be too long before they scrap the boxed version and make it a compulsory digital download across the board?

Reasons for:

Saves quite a lot of money on production for SEGA.

Saves time for the SI/SEGA on producing boxed versions, generating activation codes & designing box art.

Reasons against:

Steam charge almost double the amount to download the game directly as it is in comparison to buying the game from Amazon/Zavvi in Ireland. (Not sure about the pricing in the UK)

Downloading the full-game will be impossible for those on limited bandwidth allowances/ no internet connection.

Massive hit to those who have been collecting the boxed editions of the game for years and will no longer be able to add to that collection.

Will it happen? I hope not. I can see it happening for FM13 or FM14 though, with the way the digital world is changing.

Opinions?

I don't think it will happen overnight but it will eventually. It will save SI and Sega a lot of cash when it does happen and it will also be better for the environment as there is no rubbish to dispose of when you have finished with the game.

Retail still moves a lot of copies so I doubt this is happening anytime soon. Long-term, things are going that way though.

I haven't bought a boxed PC game since I first installed Steam 5 odd years ago. Its been the best decision I have made. Not more boxes to clutter up the house, no worries about the game disc getting damaged, no worries about keeping a game up to date and plenty of real cheap games on offers all the time. I just wish XBL would introduce this so I didn't have to buy boxed games for the xbox.

Certainly, there are some arguments for doing this.

- Reduction of distribution costs

- Less environmental impact

It would be nice if the lower costs were passed on to the consumer, but I don't believe for one moment that this will happen.

My concern with using intermediaries such as Steam to distribute the software is that the intermediary has monopoly control over software or any other material. That seems to me to be a very dangerous situation. This is similar to the stance Apple have taken in that they are, through the iBooks store, censoring material that they don't approve of.

This is a very worrying level of control and increasingly smacks of Orwell's 1984, except that it is the corporations in charge rather than an authoritarian government.

Really, what needs to happen is that software needs to be made available to a range of online distributors, including small local ones, unconditionally, so that we, the consumer, can "choose". But I fear that we'll end up with powerful monopolies or oligopolies instead.

There are also, as has been mentioned, serious equity issues with respect to the ability to purchase internet access and hence, software.

The way things are going, I think we aren't far away from the end of boxed versions, but I don't think this move is remotely aimed at benefiting the customer.

I'm a hardcore Mac user and this is the only game I play on it and I always buy boxed. I don't like downloads at all. Even on my PS3 and Xbox I try and get boxed versions of games. Fallout waited for the GOTY edition, Resident Evil 5 I waited till the DLC's came out on disk. I don't know why but I just don't trust downloading games.

Boxed versions definitely aren't going away anytime soon. Maybe in 2025 we might all be downloading, but for the forseeable future there are far too many people who still enjoy to have a dvd case on their shelf.

They will be gone soon, makers get much more money from downloads than boxed copies. I refuse to buy any downloads as they are usually the same price and often far more expensive when on steam.

Its a rip off, downloads should be far cheaper than boxed copies. When the boxed copy goes, piracy will go up as a pirated game will have a better user experience than a downloaded game, ie no DRM. At least with a boxed copy, you got a manual and sometimes some other things in the box.

They will be gone soon, makers get much more money from downloads than boxed copies. I refuse to buy any downloads as they are usually the same price and often far more expensive when on steam.

Its a rip off, downloads should be far cheaper than boxed copies. When the boxed copy goes, piracy will go up as a pirated game will have a better user experience than a downloaded game, ie no DRM. At least with a boxed copy, you got a manual and sometimes some other things in the box.

you obviously haven't bought a single EA game lately

manual books are now scrapped too

I certainly hope not.. However, with SI now taking the Steam-Only activation route, it surely can't be too long before they scrap the boxed version and make it a compulsory digital download across the board?

Reasons for:

Saves quite a lot of money on production for SEGA.

Saves time for the SI/SEGA on producing boxed versions, generating activation codes & designing box art.

Reasons against:

Steam charge almost double the amount to download the game directly as it is in comparison to buying the game from Amazon/Zavvi in Ireland. (Not sure about the pricing in the UK)

Downloading the full-game will be impossible for those on limited bandwidth allowances/ no internet connection.

Massive hit to those who have been collecting the boxed editions of the game for years and will no longer be able to add to that collection.

Will it happen? I hope not. I can see it happening for FM13 or FM14 though, with the way the digital world is changing.

Opinions?

Finally, a thread that progresses from the "I hate Steam" etc. on the announcement! I hope it doesn't for exactly your reasons, and I can also see it happening. It's great to see an original thread idea!

Of course i havent, its EA. I have bought anything from them since they lied for 3 straight years about bringing the console version of NHL out on the PC. Then they dropped it totally.

Digital Downloads will probably be the only way to get games in the future.

Boxed versions make no sense really, its jsut a waste if resources and a burden on the enviroment. If all the problems with downloads were addressed (certain countries being locked out, download speeds, broadband connections for all...etc) then we need to go all download. Its like CD cases, there are no need for them, sure some people like to have a physical product but i dont think thats a good enough reason to ignore the negatives.

I would hope that cloud gaming would evolve into something that works properly as well.

The problem with steam tho is the horrible regional pricing which is often more expensive(sometimes considerably) than a discounted pre-ordered boxed version. The only time I buy digital is if I can save a fair bit on the boxed copy.

It will happen, although not anytime soon.

It'll be a long while yet. Until the global gaming userbase has a guaranteed reasonable internet connection, they won't want to cut people out; some people have too slow a connection, while others are faced with monthly download limits, while some more don't have regular access to the internet. I don't know what kind of percentage these groups cover, but I would imagine that they will remain a notable percentage for years to come - Australia's recent NBN promise isn't due to come to fruition for another 7 or 8 years, and even then, the broadband on offer is hardly a world beating speed or price.

Plus, retail sales are far from dead - many places have won loyal customers who would rather buy from them, be it the local shop or an online retailer. I would imagine online retailers are hesitant to align themselves with a games client such as Steam or Games for Windows Live as any problems with these companies would inevitably result in complaints for the online retailer who used them. Plus, let's not forget that such a step would alienate the people in the previous paragraph.

Finally, there would presumably be the problem of a distinct lack of competition. If digital downloads become the only way to go, I would very much imagine that the publisher would want to provide a range of choice across retailers that they know and trust. I think it is safe to assume that in the case of FM, the only digital retailer who they currently trust to be both secure and user-friendly is Steam. It's difficult to know whether eventually other games clients will secure such a well-recognised, international reputation to compete against Steam, but limiting your sales to a single company is a terrible idea - it provides them with a monopoly on pricing.

So, no. Consider the many other 'obsolete' formats that are still alive and kicking. VHS continued long into the 00's, cassette tapes have still never really gone away, and even the floppy disc drive was only phased out as an accessory recently. I'm sure it will change eventually, but not for many years yet.

No, most still prefer to buy FM as a boxed copy, they wont be changing that too soon

Finally, there would presumably be the problem of a distinct lack of competition. If digital downloads become the only way to go, I would very much imagine that the publisher would want to provide a range of choice across retailers that they know and trust. I think it is safe to assume that in the case of FM, the only digital retailer who they currently trust to be both secure and user-friendly is Steam. It's difficult to know whether eventually other games clients will secure such a well-recognised, international reputation to compete against Steam, but limiting your sales to a single company is a terrible idea - it provides them with a monopoly on pricing.

Which is exactly what they want, they will be able to control pricing and you wont have a choice of looking elsewhere.

The game would be something like £50/$50 on steam if it was exclusive. It will be terrible for the customer, especially with the $1=£1=1 euro rip off which screws people from Britain.

Not for at least 10-20 years.

And you can quote me on that.

Not for at least 10-20 years.

And you can quote me on that.

I will then:D there are too many limitations to even think of scrapping them in the forseeable future.

Might be a nice touch to sell it on a USB stick which you'd get to use after the game is installed rather than a DVD though. (at the same price of course)

I will then:D there are too many limitations to even think of scrapping them in the forseeable future.

Might be a nice touch to sell it on a USB stick which you'd get to use after the game is installed rather than a DVD though. (at the same price of course)

I would go for that

Not all users have access to a credit or debit card, so I imagine the boxed version will stick around for a few years.

I hope to god it never comes down to download only. At present me and my brother always buy Football Manager and install it on both his and my computers as we live in the same house but if it ever became download only i'd never buy it again because,

1. You can ALWAYS find it cheaper in store than on the stupid digital download.

2. I'm not gonna buy a game twice, reguardless of how good it is and with my understanding of it being you can only use it on one PC via download it would be pointless and in no way cost effective.

3. Also with other comments about games in general all heading down the digital download path you have to wonder what will happen to places like Game, Gamestation and other gaming stores? I know a few small business owners who's main income is from boxed version games, get rid of that you'll see some companies folding, unemployment will rise (how many do gaming stores as well as the factories in which boxed versions are manufactured employ?). Which will again lead us down the dark path to another finacial meltdown..... Ok a bit extreme but you can see what i'm getting at. The gaming industry is one of the biggest markets in the world, with boxed versions going so will alot of people's jobs will go to so it's more than just us not getting a disc, case and manual.

Si, just leave it as it is, i'm fairly certain your turning a healthy profit from us lot anyway and as the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

People say it won't happen because of internet connection but look what Apple did this year. They released their latest Operating System as a digital download only.

2. I'm not gonna buy a game twice, reguardless of how good it is and with my understanding of it being you can only use it on one PC via download it would be pointless and in no way cost effective.

Wrong. Steam installs it quite happily on all three of my machines. You need not fret about that.

I actually don't think boxed versions will ever be gone. I think there's enough of a market that people will keep buying from stores in the near and far future. The concept of buying online is more on the younger generation (I guess my age, in the 20s. I do everything except shop groceries and clothes online ) so don't worry there will still be boxed versions in your lifetime, and probably my lifetime as well.

And please, no more of this 'I don't have an internet connection' bs. I'm sure the majority of FM users in the 21st century do have internet, and most of you lot have your own internet and don't go to the library to access the forums. Many people in developed and developing societies have personal internet.

I really hope the boxed versions have still a long future ahead...

Maybe I'm old school, but paying to get a digital copy of something isn't enough for me... I buy the game, but in the end I don't actually "own" it... feels like a rip-off to me.

Even disregarding the obvious internet connection issues, I just don't think paying to download/install a product is the right way to go... Especially if it's going to cost me just as much (if not MORE!) than the actual physical medium.

Boxed versions have reasons to be relatively expensive, due to packaging, distribution costs etc... But the digital copy?!

Wrong. Steam installs it quite happily on all three of my machines. You need not fret about that.

What Maat_no_7 was getting at is that many people in the same house hold you use 1 copy of FM on 2 or 3 computers but with the steam activation , they could no longer play on 2 computers at the same time becuase FM can only be linked to 1 Steam account. He would have to buy 2 games for him and his family to play at the same time.

I sincerely hope that SI don't move into the download platform only becuase then I think, I will have to stop playing. I started a thread asking people what they thought a complete range of the SI series would bring, going to download would spoil the plan of having every copy physically. I like seeing them all lined up on my shelve, I am lucky enough to have a computer with massive amounts of RAM and I have everyone that will run, some are just to old now, installed on my computer. So each morning, afternoon or evening I look at my collection and play Inny-Meany-Miney-Mo to find with one I will play.

I hope not. I love boxes.

I hope boxes don't go away. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like having a real object to hold and to keep. I like the security of having the disc in my house so that I can always install it and won't have to worry about my online account being hacked or my computer dying on me with all my passwords to that account. Or the online company going bust taking all my games with them. Etc.

Also do I often buy games nicely givewrapped for friends and family. And you can't really do that with an online downloaded game.

And I feel quite strongly about having the rights to do with your copy as you please, like lending it out to others or re-selling/give to charity after use. Although companies would like you to believe that's illegal...

But most importantly: What am I going to use my bookcases for in the future. All my books will be digital, my music, my games. What am I going to put on the shelves?! Flowers? Cats don't like hiding behind vases on shelves, they like hiding behind books and boxes. So they can knock them of the shelve, or jump on your head from behind them!

Would be a massive mistake if they went this way within the next five years.

Broadband infrastructue and ISP attitude is not condusive to a major game being digital only.

Honestly though, I don't think that they will ever stop doing physical copies.

What Maat_no_7 was getting at is that many people in the same house hold you use 1 copy of FM on 2 or 3 computers but with the steam activation , they could no longer play on 2 computers at the same time becuase FM can only be linked to 1 Steam account. He would have to buy 2 games for him and his family to play at the same time.

I think it is considered illegal to play one copy of any pc game at the same time on different pc's. But perfectly legal to have it installed on multiple pc's. Previously pc games used cd-keys so you couldnt run network games using the same copy of the game. This obviously didnt stop same two people playing solo games on two different pc's at the same time.

Also do I often buy games nicely givewrapped for friends and family. And you can't really do that with an online downloaded game.

+1, what if for example i decide i want FM 12 for my birthday, and you couldnt buy it in a box.... i'd have to download it and i wouldn't have anything to open on my birthday .

What Maat_no_7 was getting at is that many people in the same house hold you use 1 copy of FM on 2 or 3 computers but with the steam activation , they could no longer play on 2 computers at the same time becuase FM can only be linked to 1 Steam account. He would have to buy 2 games for him and his family to play at the same time.

it is as legal to play a boxed version on another computer at the same time as it is to do it through steam. Like the box versions there are ways to play them on different computers at the same time, but for very obvious reasons they wont be spoken about on here.

I think it is considered illegal to play one copy of any pc game at the same time on different pc's. But perfectly legal to have it installed on multiple pc's. Previously pc games used cd-keys so you couldnt run network games using the same copy of the game. This obviously didnt stop same two people playing solo games on two different pc's at the same time.

The game is going to be activated through steam using a unique code linked to you steam account, so if you are playing on your computer you will be logged in to your steam account even in off-line mode, so you can't take the disc out of your computer and load it up on anther one because its all ready linked to yours. Hence why you will need two copies. The activation code cannot be lnked to two accounts, and you can't log into an account that is already open.

Not for at least 10-20 years.

And you can quote me on that.

Its happening already with EA, Im sure FM will go to within 5 years as will most games.

You can buy games as gifts on Steam. They still don't get a box and obviously the other person has to have a steam account.

You can buy games as gifts on Steam. They still don't get a box and obviously the other person has to have a steam account.

But my parents don't know how to buy Steam gifts. So great, all I'll be getting in the future are socks and sweaters.

What I fail to understand is why is it a company can sell the FM12 for £19.95 and Steam £29.99, well what one would you choose out of all seriousness and when Play.com bring the price down by 15% how is it Steam only knock 5% off at the same time, how is getting the game through Steam benefiting Joe Bloggs?

The other thing you need to remember with out discs in shops or online shops will push the prices up because there will be no competition, it sucks in truth.

Just wanted to add that a digital download should be cheaper as there is no packaging involved but it's not is it, another dumb issue with Steam's price policy.

i've always used the boxed version but this year steam seems to be pulling me towards it, hmmm I think the end is nigh

Just wanted to add that a digital download should be cheaper as there is no packaging involved but it's not is it, another dumb issue with Steam's price policy.

no digital will always be higher priced due to hosting fees and that you can ALWAYS download your copy whenever you want to.

If your retail disc breaks.. your screwed.

I have not owned a boxed FM since 2007. steam <3

Boxed versions have reasons to be relatively expensive, due to packaging, distribution costs etc... But the digital copy?!

Marginal cost of production is a pretty minor factor in pricing. What the market will pay is much more important, and which of a boxed copy and a download copy a given customer will value higher is anyone's guess.

Right, also keep in mind that bandwidth isn't free; pushing the game out digitally to this many people is a significant cost that's on Steam's account. Their core business is handling this distribution as painlessly as possible and letting other publishers make use of it in exchange for a cut.

Also, there's actually competition between different digital download services, even for games tied to Steam. Remember that they don't accrue nearly the same level of bandwidth expenses for games tied to Steam (that thus will be downloaded from there), nor have running costs on par with a "proper" walk-in store. They can make do with a slimmer profit margin when all they provide is a key code. Just have a look around and you'll see FM priced very differently from different digital providers.

The bandwidth to download a copy is pennies per copy, that has no bearing on the pricing policy.

They have a massive profit margin compared to a box copy. I think it was posted on here, SI and the shop might get a couple of pound per boxed copy but get £10 if its a digital download.

Its proof they are gouging and its a rip off.

I think the boxed game will be there for awhile yet. The world isn't as connected as some here might think. There is also big differences between broadband and broadband and with download limits in place it would be really dificult to go to a digital download only option without alienating a rather large group of ppl.

Not sure how accurate this is but someone might find it interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users

Broadband users.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_broadband_Internet_users

no digital will always be higher priced due to hosting fees and that you can ALWAYS download your copy whenever you want to.

If your retail disc breaks.. your screwed.

I have not owned a boxed FM since 2007. steam <3

So basically with regards to costs you have paid over £50 more since 2007 to 2011 for digital download for FM than I have and who goes back to old versions of FM? Not many judging of the forums so to me it's a waste of money sticking to a certain supplier all the time when there is other avenues to go down by saving money.

You're note screwed if a physical disc is broken in most cases. At the back of the game manual there's usually an address where you can send in your broken disc and get a new one sent out for the price of postage. I don't think every developer does this, but EA do, for sure.

The funny thing is that in the long run total digital distribution will kill off publishers who haven't got extensive in house developers. The only reason many developers shacked up with publishers was because the publishers had the cash to fund a project and a stranglehold on the physical distribution. With digital distribution developers can go their own way as long as they can find financing. If SEGA hadn't bought SI a few years back, SI probably could have run the company solely off selling FM digitally.

Digital downloads are certainly the future, but whilst I live in rural Spain, they're not an option for me.

Perhaps being a little "old fashioned", I also prefer boxed copies of games. I feel the same way about things like Kindle. I doubt I'll ever really get into the idea of reading a book on a screen, as opposed to printed on a page.