Majority of publishers shunning boxed product

Six out of ten publishers have admitted that they either rarely release or never release their games in boxed physical form.
The exception, of course, is console and PC releases where the majority of publishers either release game physically or via a ‘Buy&Download’ model.
That’s just one of many findings revealed in the Games Connection Publisher Survey 2013, which outlines the new world of publisher expectations at a time when the video games market is undergoing significant change.
22 per cent of publishers intend to release titles on PS4 and Durango compared to 11 per cent on Wii U. Interest in PS3 and Xbox 360 is already beginning to wane, however, with just six per cent of publishers currently planning releases on the platforms.
Move and Kinect games hold even less attracting – only three per cent – while Wii enjoys support from just two per cent of publishers.
Interestingly, interest in Vita is notably higher amongst publishers than 3DS, despite the relative success of Nintendo’s latest handheld. Nine per cent have releases planned for Vita while just five per cent do on 3DS and two per cent on both PSP and DS.
Amongst those publishing on console, boxed releases and full-game downloads remain by far the most popular models, attracting interest from 62 per cent of publishers and 72 per cent respectively.
25 per cent of the 140+ publishers who responded to the survey said that free-to-play is now the only business model they use while 40 per cent said that they often use it. Six out of ten mobile/tablet publishers describe F2P as their ‘most relevant business model’. It is most utilised for titles targeting gamers of both genders aged between 18-50.
55 per cent, on the other hand, say that they would no longer consider using a monthly subscription business model.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/major...roduct/0112846