Sony has revealed that it, as a company, believes that disc-based games will be around for "a lot longer than people think," in an interview with GamesIndustry International. The comments could be viewed as an attack on Microsoft, according to PushSquare.
Speaking on behalf of Sony was Guy Longworth, Senior Vice President of Sony Brand Marketing. Longworth’s response was to a question regarding the balancing of retailers and customers needs.
"I think the reality is this: Our digital business is growing fast, and we have incredibly strong partnerships with our key retail partners as well. What we try to do is offer a relatively level playing field and let the gamers decide. We’re not trying to advantage them, we believe in consumer choice.
"It’s clear that the vast majority of the people want to go down to GameStop or Best Buy, they don’t want to buy it online right now. How that might change in the future is kind of hard to predict. People might be quite surprised, I think physical games will be around a lot longer than some people think."
PushSquare claims that the comments are meant as a "stab" at Microsoft. Whether intentional or not, the reference to consumer choice echoes the statement by Don Mattrick, President of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, when he revealed the turnaround in Microsoft’s Xbox One policies. Don stated that "we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content." The original policies notably curtailed the ability to freely re-sell and lend games and made an internet access a requirement, even to play offline games, though now the Xbox One will only need a "one-time system set-up."
Do you think physical media has a future? And do you sense an attack on Microsoft in the interview? Let us know in the comments section below.