EA: "Shops are old, downloading is the future"

[Mael Duin]

http://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63115

Forget popping down to the shops for all your videogaming needs once The Future arrives - within a decade, we'll all be downloading stuff instead.

That's according to EA bigwig Dr Jens Uwe [no relation] Intat, anyway. Speaking to our sister site, GamesIndustry.biz, Intat said that within ten years, "All entertainment media will be downloaded to a device," adding that "CDs, DVDs and boxed games will be as antiquated as cassette tapes and vinyl records."

Just look at iTunes, ringtones and digital books, Intat said - they're all hugely popular, and clear indicators of where the games industry is heading.

However, Intat believes EA and other game publishers won't follow of the example of the music industry - where Apple's dominace with the iTunes Music Store has allowed them to set prices, regardless of what the music companies want.

"Right now, iTunes is pretty much a monopoly. They have, I don't know, around 80 to 90 per cent market share," he said.

"We still have three large players in the console business, plus we have the PC as a fourth hardware device, not to mention the handhelds. This is a much more fragmented industry - we don't have one company that has a monopoly - and we as a total industry, software publishers and hardware manufacturers, are already sitting together and working on business models."

Intat went on to concede that there are still consumers who'd rather hold a box in their hands than download games online, stating: "There will always be - well, always is a little too far-reaching maybe, but for a very long time there will still be distribution of physical products. We should not underestimate the value of the reach that we do have today with our products - the impulse purchases that people are making, and that there are a huge amount of consumers out there who still want to buy physical products.

"The gift market also, the parents and grandmothers who still want to purchase presents for kids, and will still continue purchasing products in physical form," he concluded.

I have to disagree with him. I want my expensive game in CD and not downloaded in computer. I just don't trust on those thinks.

[Cera]

This has already been posted: http://ps3forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=293402

[Lp Chris XII]

Please do a search before creating a thread.

[curryking1]

Fans of freebies have a decent amount to look forward to this week as the European update has a handful of them. Starting off with the free HAWX demo, which should turn out pretty well considering its great reception recently from the North America update. High Velocity Bowling fans are treated to a couple of new characters while Street Fighter IV dons five new costumes in its direction. As usual, Rock Band and Guitar Hero help gamers rock out this week. Not much else going on in the European update, so enjoy!

Demos

- Hawx

Add on Content

- Street Fighter IV Brawler Pack £3.19
- Skate 2 San Van Classic Pack £3.19
- Lord of the Rings New Content £6.29
- High Velocity Bowling Candy £.79
- High Velocity Bowling Dwayne £.79
- High Velocity Bowling Trick Shots 2

Guitar Hero

- Bob Seger - 'Get out of Denver'
- Bob Seger - 'Her Strut'
- Bob Seger - 'Old Time Rock & Roll'.

Rock Band

Alt Country Pack One:
- Drive By Truckers - '3 Dimes Down'
- Lucinda Williama - 'Can't Let Go'
- Neko Case - 'People Got a Lotta nerve'
- Steve Earle - 'Satellite Radio'
- Old 97 - 'Time Bomb'

Jimmy Eat World Pack:
- Jimmy Eat World - 'Futures'
- Jimmy Eat World - 'Lucky Denver Mint'
- Jimmy Eat World - 'Sweetness'.

Trailers

- Fifa 09 Ultimate Team
- Burnout Paradise Ultimate
- Echochrome Master Maze Makers
- Prince of Persia Epilogue
- Lumines Supernova

Themes

- LocoRoco 2 MuiMui House

PSP Titles for Download

- Generation of Chaos £9.99
- WWII: Battle Over the Pacific £9.99

[BustenRhymes7790]

"Starting off with the free HAWX demo, which should turn out pretty well considering its great reception recently from the North American update."

This is not sentence. Re-read your articles if you're putting them live yourself.

[BustenRhymes7790]

Changed to "First up is the free HAWX demo, which should turn out pretty well considering its great reception recently from the North American update."