Given how much Electronic Arts is caught with their hands in the cookie jar, digging every last penny they can out of their game, it might be a bit surprising that the company isn’t making a significant push for digital distribution taking over. During a Nasdaq event on December 5, their Chief Financial Officer, Blake Jorgenson said that they expect consoles and their disk drives to remain relevant for many years.
While there are numerous benefits to digital distribution such as preloading and not having to leave the home to get your content, there are of course drawbacks as well concerning bandwidth and download size, not to mention data caps. On console, EA sees about 30% of their sales through digital, and is perfectly happy to leave the decision on how the consumer wants their content delivered, to the consumer.
“I think it’s the consumer deciding what’s the easiest way for them to buy a game. And it may mean they no longer have a store down the street from them so they decide to buy it [digitally] maybe it’s easier for them to do.” said Jorgenson
Digital sales continue to grow more and more, particularly in the US. Brick and Mortar retailers like Gamestop have had to adapt but thanks to new hardware have seen a decent year.
Would you be ok with an all digital console? let us know in the comments.
