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@ REDSLATE

I’ve managed a few businesses before. Retail and hospitality. I know all about the shared costs of distribution (it’s incredibly inexpensive, and, yes, down to pennies in some cases, if multiple affiliates are cooperating). Consolidation is more prevalent than ever before. Distributors are ALWAYS looking for ways to cut costs, as is any business. Profit, well, survival is the name of the game. It’s a never-ending process…

On the other hand, I’ve seen the massive spikes in basic management and utility costs due to only a handful of extra liabilities added to a single affiliate’s ledger.

Desire for a product determines its market value more than anything else. For example, even if GTA 5 would have been a digital only release, it still would have sold the same or near the same amount of copies because fans of the series would have to have it, regardless. Tangibility isn’t really the cornerstone that you believe, here. In other, more essential industries, yes. In the world of digital media and entertainment, no.

@ DukeMagnem

I wasn’t talking about the costs of distribution TO A DEVELOPER. I was referring to the costs posed to storefront.

But, now that you bring it up, indie devs typically avoid physical distribution because their games traditionally sell much less than high-profile releases, partly due to lack of advertising budgets, and partly due to their lesser prominence. (The management company likely advises them to avoid the potentially costlier route – and not costly because of immediate expenses, but because projections, based on established habits, reveal future hardships for those choosing that route, if not adequately prepared.) So, not only does the possibility of unmoved copies pose a threat to the indie’s survival as a company, but, also, managing contracts with multiple affiliates may also prove to be too daunting of a task for a small team to handle. When you’re starting out, you can’t go wild and toss money at every hand lobbying for a taste. Building a successful franchise takes much time, effort, and dedication to the immediate goals. Baby steps… the ultimate survival strategy…

Everything else is self-explanatory. If you look around, you’ll see it. You just don’t want to accept it for some reason.