Digital versions of retail games being sold on PlayStation Network are nothing new; we’ve seen numerous games made available in this fashion. In most cases, these digital versions have been released at some point after the game in question debuted at retail. Last week’s release of Borderlands 2 was a notable exception — it could be downloaded from PSN on the same day it became available in stores and online. That’s something we’ll be seeing a lot more of soon, as it will be far from the only game released in that fashion on PSN this fall with Sony today announcing the PSN Day 1 Digital program.
Eight games coming out in October will be released on PSN on the same day they hit retail, including Assassin’s Creed III, Dishonored, and Resident Evil 6. That the number is so high is an aggressive move by Sony — it’s one thing for the occasional game to be released simultaneously on PSN, but this list now accounts for almost every high-profile game release in October. There are some missing, like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, WWE 13, and the HD Collections of Zone of the Enders and Killzone (the latter of which I’m sure will end up on PSN), but it’s pretty comprehensive otherwise. The omission of Skylanders Giants is not a big deal, even though it is sure to be a major seller. That’s because it’s a game that relies on the player having more than just a controller to play, and also because it’s not a game geared toward core gamers, which is the primary market for downloadable versions of games.
