EA: We Might Sell The Last Game Disc EverGames are going digital - there's no doubt about that. Publishers - EA in particular - are doing everything they can to ensure they're ready for the day that physical software no longer sells. "Companies that continue to rely on the old model as the model changes before our eyes, unless they change their ways and invest in the future those companies eventually will die off. No two ways about it," EA COO Peter Moore warned, as part of a special "Better Know" feature on the industry veteran.
Moore was sure to stress that packaged goods are still "flourishing" as demonstrated by huge blockbusters like the games we've seen during this holiday shopping season, "But eventually, physical media will diminish as the core part of how gamers get their content. And we're ready for that, but we're also still ready to be the number one packaged goods publisher in the world, which we are."
To that point, EA will certainly keep selling game discs so long as consumers want them. Moore noted, "We might be the company that sells the last disc! But by then we'll also be doing several billions of dollars in digital..."
Ultimately, Moore's warning should be heeded: "If you want to be a publisher that's still going to be viable for the consumer 3-4 years from now, you better be ready to deliver your content anytime, anywhere and to everyone."
The industry definitely appears to be headed that way with cloud technology creeping into everything. Now it's just a matter of more improvements to the country's broadband infrastructure and consumer acceptance.
