EA’s Downloader — Like iTunes, but for games
Gamespot has an interview with Chip Lange, who heads the division of EA that quietly launched Downloader, a service that allows iTunes-like distribution of expansion packs for PC games. The concept is simple: you buy The Sims 2 in the store, and you download the expansions digitally, saving you another trip (and presumably saving you some money too).
So, will this kind of thing spread to consoles? Maybe. And will retailers freak out about the new digital distribution. They already have. EA says that it is sticking with expansion packs and has no major plans to distribute full games over the web — but really, how long can that last if the consumer demand is out there? It sounds like an awesome mix if iTunes and Sega Channel to us, especially if it hooks up with the next-gen consoles. We can only hope.
