Gamefly's Purchase of Direct2Drive from IGN Confirmed

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Last week, we reported on a rumor that said Gamefly was looking to buy digital distribution site Direct2Drive from IGN. It looks like those rumors can now be laid to rest, as Gamefly has issued a press release confirming the acquisition.

The purchase sees Gamefly adding Direct2Drive’s library of some 3,000 PC and Mac games to their arsenal, and Gamefly will likely look to develop Direct2Drive’s slim offering of PC rentals. Expanding such a service and offering a variety of PC rentals could give them edge against Steam, which all but owns the realm of digital distribution.

For now, though, things at Gamefly and Direct2Drive appear to be staying about the same, with the press release not going into detail about the terms of the deal or whether or not Gamefly would focus on Direct2Drive’s rental service.

However, there’s hope for the future, with Gamefly CEO David Hodess telling Joystiq that it’s something they’re considering. “We know that consumers are interested in PC/Mac rentals and intend to investigate this opportunity thoroughly,” he said. He added that the discounts you get on Direct2Drive purchases by being an IGN member will continue after the deal is complete.

So, only time will tell if Gamefly delivers an expanded PC rental service, but frankly, it would be kind of stupid not to. Would you rent PC games if Direct2Drive started offering them regularly?