EA doesn’t see games going all digital this generation

Digital downloads will be a huge part of console gaming this generation but Electronic Arts CFO, Blake Jorgensen, doesn't see EA going all digital any time soon. There is a good reason for this though: digital makes up less than 30% of the publisher's sales.

During the Credit Suisse 2013 Technology Conference, the CFO was asked when he thought one-third of all EA games will be sold as digital downloads: “I don't know when the 30 percent target hits. That's probably still a ways off. We're much lower than that today on full-game downloads,”

While all Xbox One and PS4 games require same day digital availability this generation, he thinks that bandwidth will hold people back: “I think a lot of the constraint there will continue to be bandwidth into people's homes. At the same time, the size of games has gotten bigger and more complex and so it's eaten up some of the benefits of increased bandwidth.”

That said, digital downloads are on the right trend and will continue to grow, they just aren't taking over any time soon.

KitGuru Says: PC became a digital platform a long time ago. I remember having to plan what I wanted to play a day ahead so that I could leave my PC on to download overnight. Things have improved a lot recently but I don't think console gamers are ready to adjust to waiting for downloads all of the time, especially in areas with slower connections. 

Source: Gamespot

Become a Patron!