February 11, 2006: GURPS Fourth Edition Books To Be Available On e23

Starting this month, Steve Jackson Games will be releasing PDF versions of its GURPS Fourth Edition books on e23. The PDFs will be bookmarked and searchable, and will be priced at $24.95.

We will be releasing the existing books in chronological order. GURPS Fantasy is available now at e23, and there will be a new PDF every two weeks through the end of March, which will see the release of GURPS Powers. Thereafter, a new GURPS Fourth Edition PDF will be released approximately three months after the print version ships to retailers. The GURPS Fourth Edition Basic Set will remain a "print-only" product.

Why release the PDFs now? Steve Jackson Games was built on good relations with our retail partners. We were concerned, as were many retailers, that PDF sales would reduce the number of print sales. After observing the market, we have concluded that, in general, the sales of a PDF version of a product do not affect the sales of the print version. Therefore, we can satisfy the growing number of PDF-using customers without harming the retailers who have supported us for so long.

The release of the Fourth Edition PDFs will not change our print runs. Gamers who love the smell of a new book will be able to find print copies just as easily as before, and those who prefer the advantages of digital can now be satisfied.
-- Paul Chapman

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