In 2007, the French digital distribution vendor DotEmu began releasing digital download versions of classic videogames. Games are distributed on a global scale with a variety of options offered to customers. Over the years, popularity gradually increased for the site, allowing them to distribute their software to a wide variety of devices.

DotEmu primarily sells classic games for the PC and iPhone. These games originate from a variety of gaming systems, and many titles that have long been forgotten are once again available through DotEmu’s digital distribution service. They use emulation software to create an environment similar to the platform for which the titles were originally released. Every title comes packaged with the proper emulation software to ensure full compatibility. For each title, a list of icons representing different platforms (Windows XP, 7, the iPhone, and so on) is provided to ensure full compatibility.

One of the driving forces behind DotEmu’s global success is the variety of languages that each game is available in. Although the main site is only available in French and English, some of the titles have also been translated to German, Italian, Russian, and other languages. Typically, those that do not speak English or French can still search for a game by its title and then check to see if the flag representing their language’s nation of origin is present on the individual title’s screen.

A top reason that people choose DotEmu is due the absence of a DRM on its downloadable games. Player’s won’t have to worry about the annoying registration processes that always seem to be full of errors that are consistent with other DRM titles. After the user buys online, the title is sent to their e-mail address and they are free to download it as often as they please. This is especially great for users that want to install the title on more than one system.

Despite the lack of a DRM, users have still reported some problems using DotEmu. Some have claimed issues after attempting to launch a game with the only solution coming from major changes to their system’s settings. Others have reported having issues with the site itself, with broken links, poor performance, and inconsistencies with the payment process.