Direct2Drive

Direct2Drive
Web address direct2drive.com
Slogan "Download today. Own forever."
Commercial? Yes
Type of site
 Online retailer
Registration To purchase
Owner Atgames
Launched 2004
Alexa rank
 Decrease 111,177 (October 2015)[1]
Current status Active
Direct2Drive offers a download manager for its service.

Direct2Drive (commonly D2D) is an online game store offering PC games via direct download.

On May 25, 2011, GameFly acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment, Inc. and renamed the service to GameFly Digital.[2] On Oct 20, 2014 GameFly released a statement in their website indicating that it had sold the digital download service to AtGames Holding Ltd., and that the transition would be completed by the end of the year. AtGames relaunched the service under the original name of Direct2Drive.

Competition with Steam

Direct2Drive is one of the major competitors to Valve's Steam digital storefront and has been described as "the other major purveyor of digital distribution".[3] A non-scientific survey run by gaming news site Kotaku in 2010 indicated that of around 30,000 respondents, 8% had purchased a game from Direct2Drive.[4] While Steam customers can browse the storefront via the downloadable client or the website, the D2D store is only available on their website. D2D does not offer a full-fledged client; however, the service does have a free download manager. Additionally, many of the services features, including downloading, were available from former sister site GameSpy's software Comrade.

Business

Launched in 2004, IGN has claimed "exponential growth in sales" since that time. It offered over 3,000 titles through relationships with more than 300 game publishers.[5][6] Direct2Drive sponsored a $10,000 award at the Independent Games Festival called the D2D Vision Award, which "celebrates independent developers exemplifying innovation in design coupled with excellence in game-play".[7] In 2009, the site made headlines by refusing to sell Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 due to that game's integration with Valve's Steamworks service. Users buying Modern Warfare 2 from a reseller such as Direct2Drive would be forced to also download and install the Steam client.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Direct2drive.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  2. ↑ GAMEFLY, INC. ACQUIRES DIRECT2DRIVE FROM IGN ENTERTAINMENT
  3. ↑ PC Sales Charts (Now With Added Direct2Drive) - Kotaku
  4. ↑ Kotaku Census 2010
  5. ↑ GAMEFLY, INC. ACQUIRES DIRECT2DRIVE FROM IGN ENTERTAINMENT
  6. ↑ Interview: Direct2Drive's Berger On The Evolving Digital Distro Space - Gamasutra
  7. ↑ GDC: IGF, Direct2Drive Announce $10,000 D2D Vision Award Finalists - Gamasutra
  8. ↑ Direct2Drive Tussles With Valve By Declining To Sell Steamworks-Powered MW2 - Gamasutra Was acquired by GameFly in.2011
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