Houser doubts mass-market appeal of digital games

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has raised questions on the mass-market acceptance of digitally distributed games.

Houser claimed that – in regards to consumer conscience – downloading music tracks were akin to selecting a song on a jukebox, yet other entertainment mediums don’t share this trait.

"I know, as a consumer, I’m more comfortable buying songs than I am buying movies as purely digital items," he said, speaking to USA Today.

This year, Houser and his brother Sam appeared in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people.

The duo are currently overseeing the release of Episodes from Liberty City, the retail edition of two game add-ons for GTAIV. Both of those episodes were initially announced as downloadable, digital add-ons for Xbox 360 owners of GTAIV.

Speaking of the company’s decision to go physical, Dan Houser said “we can surely get more people to experience it if we put it on a disc.”

The console editions of GTAIV have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide since its release in April 2008.

Meanwhile, Rockstar Games’ owning company Take-Two Interactive announced during last night’s financial call that 20 per cent of its Q4 revenues will come from digital distribution.