GameStop acquires digital distribution platform Impulse, PC PC News

Over the past year GameStop's company line on digital distribution changed from one dismissive of digital distribution, to one embracing it. Last November's acquisition of Kongregate was just the beginning. The retail giant is clearly planning to challenge Valve's Steam service with its purchase of Impulse from its current owner Stardock.

Steam has dominated the digital distribution marketplace for several years now, and Impulse has been one of its most aggressive competitors. However, despite aggressive sales and a fair number of exclusives, they have trailed Steam alongside Games for Windows Marketplace and Direct2Drive.

The purchase comes alongside the acquisition of Spawn Labs, a company specializing in streaming technology. Judging by GameStop's description of Spawn Labs, it seems that it's also planning on taking on OnLive as well as Steam.“Once the Spawn Labs integration and testing on a new consumer interface is complete, users will have immediate access to a wide selection of high-definition video games on demand on any Internet-enabled device,” said the retailer in apress release.

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