Dtp: Indies are "missing huge opportunities" in Germany
Sales in excess of 100k units could be possible with better planning, says Lass
Dtp Entertainment's Soeren Lass has told GamesIndustry.biz Germany that he believes a good PC or PlayStation 3 title could reach sales of 100,000 units or more in Germany, but that some publishers simply miss the timeframe because they're signing distribution deals too late.
Lass, who is the international business development director at the German publisher and distributor, thinks that independent publishers and distributors especially could be missing huge opportunities.
"It is often the case that the developers and publishers sign the distribution deals simply too late for the German market," he said. "It's not unusual, especially for independent companies without publishing partners, to start thinking of international distribution at a very late stage in product development.
"That's a pity, because it is possible that many titles could have fulfilled their potential a lot more effectively with that extra time."
Lass said that the decentralised buying responsibilities in German retail can make a big difference in the market for boxed retail products.
"Compared to the UK, the investment of distribution is higher - which is the result of the federal structure over here [in Germany]," he explained. "Unlike the UK we don't have just a few senior buyers, but a fragmented retail landscape with buyers at local level.
"Of course we are also in close contact with the central buyers, but we also have eight sales people who take care about our product on shop level," he said of Dtp's own service. "This is a logistical problem for publishing - because of this structure, you need a timeframe of at least 6-8 weeks before launch to get the product into the market, when we are talking about distribution only.
"The advantage is that you have a great opportunity to do differentiated promotions and deals on a local level, involving retail partners, media and customers in many innovative ways."
He added that Dtp was currently actively scouting for PS3 and PC products to put out across its network - both in the German-speaking countries, but also internationally.