Nintendo announces digital download option for all major releases

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has announced that Nintendo will be fully adopting a digital distribution model, making all major releases available for download alongside traditional boxed sales.

Talking on the upcoming New Super Mario Bros 2, Iwata said, “In principle, starting from this software, the company will offer the software titles that Nintendo itself publishes in both packaged and digital download formats so that our consumers can choose the way to purchase them.

“Since the packaged and the digital download formats both have their own merits, we would like to offer both of these options to our consumers.

“For the Wii U, we will start the digital download sales of packaged software that I just discussed, so our consumers can choose either the packaged version or the digital download version of the same software from day one of the Wii U’s launch.”

These digital downloads will actually also be available not just online, but in retail stores as well. This will most likely take the form of coded cards or something similar. Whether or not this means retailers will discount the digital prices remains to be seen, but the potential is certainly there. Digital downloads sold in store at the same price as the physical product could be somewhat of a tough sell.

Iwata also confirmed that the Wii U will launch with this service model, but did not say whether or not this will be a global launch.

The only real change here is consumers are given more options, which you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to complain about.