Shane Kim, Microsoft's VP of strategy and business development for Xbox, admits that the company is "not anywhere close to that world today" of offering day-and-date releases of on-demand Xbox 360 games alongside retail launches. In an interview with Fast Company, Kim expresses that offering Xbox 360 games on the Xbox Marketplace is a "natural evolution," but states there are "complex issues" to deal with by offering digital versions of games on their retail release days. You can't download NVGs, after all.

Kim explains that day-and-date digital releases would require technical effort by publishers to make the process smooth, and there are also business decisions to weigh -- like, you know, upsetting a major retail games giant. According to Kim, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do before offering games through Xbox Live Marketplace on a grand scale.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/30/sh...g-day-and-dat/