One of the biggest risks of making a new video game on any system is whether or not it will sell. With digital distribution becoming one of the forerunners in the game world, these huge risks have been greatly reduced as it helps cut the cost of getting there product in the hands of the fans. From Dust is a perfect example of this, launching just a few months ago during Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade it has already moved over 500k copies (XBLA & PSN) in just a matter of months. This is a feat they would have struggled to achieve in any amount of time had From Dust been a full priced retail game.

During a recent interview with MCV Thomas Paincon, Ubisoft’s digital distribution manager for EMEA, had this to say:

There is less risk releasing a new game digitally… at retail, if you don’t have a 90 Metacritic score and millions of fans, it’s very risky to launch a new game. It’s more strategic to launch downloadable games in the first half of the year or around September before the boxed blockbusters arrive,” he added. It’s harder to compete for gamers’ money when there are lots of new triple-A games out.Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade Xbox Live promotion is a good new market that people are getting used to.

Source: MCV