I prefer boxed copies but digital distribution is on the increase and it will be cheaper especially if the developer is publishing the game themselves. However if Larian do decide to sell boxed copies of the PC version then I'd buy it otherwise a digial version would have to be OK.
Bingo.
I'd prefer a boxed retail copy, of course; however, you must take Larian's business into consideration when talking about which route they decide to take in the future, because would you rather Larian risk it all through a boxed retail release, potentially suffer the risks financially and never get another Divinity title? In this day and age, the industry is changing, you're either a AAA experience, most likely a first-person shooter, or you're doomed to be forgotten. While you and I would be there day one with our money to support Larian, that surely isn't enough to remain a successful and profitable operation.
Larian could do very well through digital distribution. The games don't have a massive budget, don't take as long to develop, the share that the digital distribution partner gets shouldn't even come close to what a retail partner gets, they can publish it on their own through the Larian Vault and then team up with someone for an Xbox Live Arcade release, they don't have to worry about the cost involved with packaged products, etc.
I'd rather see an incredibly healthy Larian if it meant digital distribution was the only way. I'm not saying that Larian is in a unhealthy state, but merely saying that I don't want it to happen in the future and possibly this is one way to avoid that.
