The game rental-by-mail service GameFly is getting out of digital PC gaming.
The company revealed today that it sold off its GameFly Digital business to AtGames, which will continue to operate the service (as Game Politics first spotted). GameFly Digital enabled gamers to purchase download versions of games. The company purchased the Direct2Drive digital platform from multimedia gaming site IGN in 2011 and turned it into GameFly Digital. The rental service positioned this as a way to build a more future-proof business, but it also put it in direct competition with Valve’s popular Steam client.
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GameFly announced the deal with AtGames in a brief announcement on its website. As part of the deal, anyone who made purchases through GameFly Digital (or Direct2Drive before it) can continue to download their games from the platform under its new owner. All payment information associated with GameFly accounts, however, will not transfer over to AtGames.
“We at AtGames are excited about the next step and future of bringing games directly to your desktop,” reads a statement from the company. “In holding true to the fantastic service, GameFly Digital has provided, AtGames’ mission is to build upon an extensive product line-up, quality service, and great customer support. AtGames appreciates your continued business and looks forward to servicing the needs of consumers like yourself through innovation, continued extensive library of great games, and build an incredible community of like-minded gamers.”
AtGames is a gaming-related distributor that releases products like the all-in-one Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis toy consoles that include 80 or so built-in games. The company has a presence in North America, Latin America, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Asia. It has recently expanded into digital and cloud-based streaming, and the GameFly Digital platform could at least help bolster its efforts with the former.