EA Sports
You know the drill. You plop down $60 on your favorite sports video games every year and there might be a new franchise or story mode, but basically, you are paying for slightly better graphics and a roster update from last year’s edition. That model may finally change, at least with Electronic Arts sports games such as Madden, FIFA, and NHL.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson made the unexpected revelation in an interview with Bloomberg. “There’s a world where it gets easier and easier to move that code around — where we may not have to do an annual release,” Wilson said. “We can really think about those games as a 365-day, live service.” Instead of buying Madden, FIFA, or NHL video games annually, you could get roster updates as part of a subscription service. Gamers wouldn’t have to go to a brick and mortar store and game studios wouldn’t have to waste money for discs and packaging, plus they could sell directly to the customer without a middleman. Wilson did not provide any idea of what the pricing or timetable would be for this revolutionary idea.
“The greatest disruptor to the consumption of entertainment media in the last five years has been the combination of streaming plus subscription,” Wilson said. “It’s changed the way we watch television. It’s changed the way we listen to music. It’s changed the way I read books.” The California-based Electronic Arts already offers a $5-a-month service that allows customers access to a library of games. However, you have to wait about six months after their initial release for new titles. This comes at a time when gaming companies are investigating ditching physical game discs in favor of downloading games from a cloud. Only days ago, Microsoft teased starting their own streaming service where gamers could play video games with or without an Xbox.
Could this also come to NBA 2K series and maybe, just maybe the Call of Duty franchise?
[GameSpot]