Direct2Drive
Encyclopedia
Direct2Drive is an online game store offering PC videogames via direct download. On May 25, 2011, Gamefly
acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group
GAMEFLY, INC. ACQUIRES DIRECT2DRIVE FROM IGN ENTERTAINMENT.
's Steam digital storefront and has been described as "the other major purveyor of digital distribution". 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. While Steam customers can browse the storefront via the downloadable client or the website, the D2D store is only available on the 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, are available from former sister site Gamespy's
software Comrade.
called the D2D Vision Award, which "celebrates independent developers exemplifying innovation in design coupled with excellence in game-play". In 2009, the site made headlines by refusing to sell Activision's 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.
GameFly
GameFly is an American online video game rental subscription service that specializes in providing games for game consoles and handheld game consoles....
acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
GAMEFLY, INC. ACQUIRES DIRECT2DRIVE FROM IGN ENTERTAINMENT.
Competition with Steam
It is a major competitor to ValveValve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Steam digital storefront and has been described as "the other major purveyor of digital distribution". A non-scientific survey run by gaming news site Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
in 2010 indicated that of around 30,000 respondents, 8% had purchased a game from Direct2Drive. While Steam customers can browse the storefront via the downloadable client or the website, the D2D store is only available on the 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, are available from former sister site Gamespy's
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
software Comrade.
Business
Launched in 2004, IGN has claimed "exponential growth in sales" since that time. It offers over 3,000 titles through relationships with more than 300 game publishers. Direct2Drive sponsors a $10,000 award at the Independent Games FestivalIndependent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
called the D2D Vision Award, which "celebrates independent developers exemplifying innovation in design coupled with excellence in game-play". In 2009, the site made headlines by refusing to sell Activision's 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.