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Amazon Enters Gaming Market
eldavojohn writes "Ars brings us news of Amazon's entrance into the casual gaming market after purchasing Reflexive last year. Amazon identifies this sort of gaming as a good start for its demographic of customers and is certainly making competitors in the field nervous. There is a lot of evidence that Amazon is testing the waters to see how these small time games go as a prerequisite to something bigger, although they aren't talking. From Ars, 'For the first week, visitors will even be able to grab three games for free: Jewel Quest 2, Build a Lot, and The Scruffs. That, along with the ability to try every game before you buy, should be enough to entice fans of casual gaming to check out Amazon's offerings. It also looks like this could be Amazon's first step into the world of digital distribution for video games.' Do you think this trial will go well for Amazon?"
I do think it will.
You've broken Amazon, good job! I went to checkout with Jewel Quest and there was an unknown error.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
All the titles on there are Windows only. Any plans to expand to other platforms?
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The games there are windows-only. Please tag as "windowsonly" so the Linux, BSD & Mac OS loving fellow slashdotters will know that they should skip this slashvertisment.
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The games are US only too - your IP is tested as well to confirm your location.
Proxy.
1) You need an Amazon account with a credit card number. Hitting the download button directs me to sign in and then choose my payment.
2) Amazon requires you to use their downloader.
3) From what I'm hearing, Jewelquest2 is time limited to 30mins. Forced Casual? Heh.
- AJK
Just tried this.
They make you download and install their special downloader first. This installs a service and a tray icon that run at startup, and provides no easy way to disable this (short of uninstall). (That is, easier than disabling them with RegEdit and Services console.) The downloader also makes you "name" your machine for its own purposes, and you pick which machine you're downloading to on the download page. I'm guessing this must lock that copy in to that machine (else why ask?).
Yuck.
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
Click the link for a 'free' game and it asks for credit card information. Forget that! Yeah -- uhm... Usenet doesn't do that when I download free games.
Amazon has a great reputation as a hard goods shipper. Excellent site, and great shipping. BUT it sucks in areas where Apple is King.
Video downloads was a disastrous service by Amazon.
First of all they have this crazy DRM fear so much that they rape your PC installing their downloader.
Second, they limit you to US by IP address...
I mean they ship their DVDs worldwide, but can't let me download a video outside of US???
Stardock got it right with their downloadable games option. Download from anywhere, even outside of US, and play anywhere without screwing up your PC.
Of course some of their games are lame, but i expect to see more 3rd parties coming in their way.
As a frequent traveller out of US, i strictly limit myself to Amazon for buying ONLY DVDs and Books. Rest all, i get locally.
Games? I would rather buy a DVD at a local store or download from Stardock or buy from independent producers (Democracy 2 anyone) instead of going to Amazon.
"Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
Total garbage. You don't get something for nothing. This is like some cheesy pop up that offers a free cell phone.
If you're stupid enough to download it I guess they figure you deserve it.
Must admit, if you're into those simple puzzle and seek'n'find type games, Reflexive and BigFish have the market sown up. Sounds like a nice little sideline earner for the big A!
I guess that explains the spam I received this morning on my Amazon-only email alias.
Very annoying.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
Sounds like it isn't for you, then.
This is definitely DRM'd and you have to register individual computers with the DRM service.
They do limit you by area... It says right on the page you must be in the US and have a US credit card.
On the other hand, the price is half that of what these games normally are. For some, that's enough. Personally, I just want to play the game... As long as it doesn't harm my computer, I'm okay with DRM when I get a discount. It's not like the full versions have no DRM anyhow.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
I would swear I've seen most of these as Flash/Shockwave games on Miniclip, Armor Games, Kongregate, and others. If I can play for free in a browser, why would I spend $10 to download them?
Crimsonland ... Reflexive, are they the same publisher for this game? If you haven't seen it, i highly suggest it, it is a pretty amazingly addictive small game. I don't usually purchase small games like this but after about 10 minutes with it the guy had my 20 dollars.
I wonder if with some bigger backing there might be another version of this game, which could only be a good thing.
I'm not defending amazon, but a lot of places do the US restriction thing because if you live outside of the US, copying/sharing files aren't necessarily prosecuted in your country [see TPB, as of so far], so they want you to not distribute the material to pirates. arrrr.
The untold details here are:
1. Amazon purchased Reflexive Entertainment.
2. The offerings by Amazon represent about 45% of Reflexive's library.
3. The games used to be priced $19.95 but for some reason Amazon thinks it's a good idea to chop that down to $9.99 and in many cases even $6.99
The problem with larger corporates is that they treat every broadband user as a criminal.
Every single one.
Smaller game companies or indie producers do not do the same.
Take Democracy 2 for instance.
I paid for the PC version BECAUSE:
1) It was not DRM'ed.
2) I got the Mac version too!
If i buy AoM from MSFT, i need to pay twice: Mac & Windows.
Why can't RIAA/MPAA/BSA make a deal something like this:
I buy a license to see/play/listen directly from their websites or partners.
I can then download it from official/unofficial torrents, RS or ML or damn anywhere else.
In any format i choose, and play it anywhere i like!
Why do they restrict us to a media and then DRM it BUT license it and not sell it?
All they need is money. They care shit about media.
If i buy a license, their distribution costs can be halved/zeroed.
Iam free to download it from anywhere else.
"Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer