According to mcvuk.com the senior VP of Electronic Arts has implied that the FIFA series will move away from the annual disc release model sometime in the future. Why the sudden change in attitude towards the current business model?
Andrew Wilson claimed, “There will come a time where the consumer is simply not prepared to pay $60 up-front for a game anymore, the same way they have said that for movies and music and television.”
“That’s one thing. And then I think it’s the global infrastructure that facilitates the shift. As soon as technology provides a viable alternative to a disc, then that process will change.”
Ultimately, moving away from the current structure depends on several factors. Obviously, if you aren’t going to buy a disc you’d need to download it. That would require more bandwidth and faster internet speed. Secondly, it would depend on consumer behavior. The industry would have to convince gamers that the change is worth it. What would be the benefit of simply downloading a game? Personally, I like owning the hard copy of the game, but if the change would mean lower prices then I’m all for it.
“I think that Football Club this year is turning the FIFA you buy on a disc into a live service that changes every day and every week that you play. Over time, based on consumer feedback, those chunks that we deliver on that day-to-day, week-to-week basis are going to get bigger, and the releases that we do on an annual basis are going to get smaller, and ultimately you end up in a place where we are delivering a true, consumer-driven live digital service. We’re building architecture and infrastructure to facilitate a time when the pipes into consumer homes are big enough to move that kind of data around.”
What are your thoughts on this service Andrew Wilson is hinting towards? Is it the future of gaming?
