Moore: disc-basedgames business is a "burning platform"

[wraggster]

EA Sports president Peter Moore has compared the traditional videogames sales model to a sinking ship.

"The core business model of videogames is a burning platform," said Moore, speaking at the 5th annual PLAY Digital Media Conference.

"Look at the platform we're on, it's a burning platform," said Moore. "As a concept, do you stay on the platform and face certain death, or do you jump into the water and face probable death? Most of you would choose probable death, so you start moving towards a hybrid model of digital distribution."

"As digital distribution becomes more and more, we'll continue as an industry to work with retail and to ship discs, but more and more of the content will be in the 'cloud," added Moore, as reported by consumer website IGN. "More content will be delivered daily, weekly, or monthly, and less will be of the old model of cartridges and discs."

Although he admitted that the industry could still be a decade away "from saying goodbye to physical discs," Moore also speculated that Microsoft would be the first console manufacturer to release a download-only home console.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/moore-disc-based-games-business-is-a-burning-platform

[JDvorak]

Well even if companies go to digital distribution only people still will want a way to backup their games and display their game collections. So you will still need to burn a CD/DVD or put it on a memory card/stick. I would prefer the CD method as you can make covers for the game and put it on a shelf. But I do like to look at games in stores and their packaging so selling games in App Stores only online would ruin that for me. The only upside is that you get an instant download of the game and most of the time the stores don't have the game you want. This could kill the used game market as well. Something the industry has been wanting to do for years. But what if you download a game and it's crap. You can't just transfer your game and license to someone else. And if you handheld/cosole/computer crashes and you don't have backups can you get the games/apps back? I don't know I have mixed feelings about this.

[osgeld]

The only upside is that you get an instant download of the game

heh yea, when my wife downloaded the sims3 on release day that instant download was ripping right along @ 2-15kbps, for a 5.8 gig file

she didnt get to play it until nearly 2 days later

[symbal]

Alright lets stick with that sinking ship analogy.. The developers come in to destroy those disc based ships, then use DRM to make the pirates walk the plank, fire their cannons at the used game retailers and steal all the treasure for theirselves.

[JDvorak]

Sure on release day you are going to get slow server connections to download games and server crashes. Happens all the time. It was like that trying to get the Windows 7 Betas. What I meant was that you can order a game and download it now. You don't have to mail order it, ebay it, or goto the store (or several stores) to get the game which takes time and gas. And it depends on how they distibute the game. If it's a torrent forget about getting a 5gig game anytime soon even on a super fast internet connection. But then again most digitally downloaded games are small and for cell phones so you don't have to wait all that long. I still prefer physical media to downloads but even with that some games have a lower price on digital vs. physical media with exceptions being on PSP damn Sony!

[Gene]

On the other hand, as long as digital space is an issue, the concept of digital games (instead of physical discs) is very limited. So essentially its a choice of either being able to only have 6-7 digital games, verses unlimited physical games. It's just not practical yet.