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The major publisher has officially announced that it will be going entirely digital in the near future. The exact word used by president Frank Gibeau was "inevitable". But Madden won't be disappearing off the shelves tomorrow.
Gibeau sums it up thusly:"Retail is a great channel for us. We have great relationships with our partners there. At the same time, the ultimate relationship is the connection that we have with the gamer. If the gamer wants to get the game through a digital download and that's the best way for them to get it, that's what we're going to do."
This won't be a sudden change but a gradual shift. Still, Gibeau notes that last year digital was a growing sector for the publisher collecting $1.2 billion in revenue. Experiments such as Battlefield 3 Premium have been extremely successful.
Nonetheless statements like this likely have GameStop executives ordering antacids in bulk and console makers taking notes. Digital has considerable appeal to publishers: They can sell you the games directly and once you buy them you can't sell them used.
EA going entirely digital would pull dozens of franchises and developers out of stores. It will obviously take time for EA to fully transition. But this heralds what will be a major shift in gaming over the next few years.
Gibeau sums it up thusly:"Retail is a great channel for us. We have great relationships with our partners there. At the same time, the ultimate relationship is the connection that we have with the gamer. If the gamer wants to get the game through a digital download and that's the best way for them to get it, that's what we're going to do."
This won't be a sudden change but a gradual shift. Still, Gibeau notes that last year digital was a growing sector for the publisher collecting $1.2 billion in revenue. Experiments such as Battlefield 3 Premium have been extremely successful.
Nonetheless statements like this likely have GameStop executives ordering antacids in bulk and console makers taking notes. Digital has considerable appeal to publishers: They can sell you the games directly and once you buy them you can't sell them used.
EA going entirely digital would pull dozens of franchises and developers out of stores. It will obviously take time for EA to fully transition. But this heralds what will be a major shift in gaming over the next few years.
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