CNN Money: The end of video game disks

The booming mobile and free-to-play video game markets are seriously weighing down today's disk-based game sales. Sales of new and used video game disks made up just 35% of overall video game sales last year, according to research firm Newzoo. That's down from 40% in 2012.

Meanwhile, smartphone and tablet games are taking control of the video game industry. For example, King's popular Candy Crush Saga game earns over $1 million per day from in-game sales of extra lives and power boosters. Mobile consumers play King's games more than 1 billion times a day --up three-fold from a year ago. The company announced its plans to go public on Tuesday.

[gamerlive]

Video game consoles aren't going anywhere...yet.

[thereapersson]

We see articles like this way too often. Discs aren't going anywhere and neither are standalone console boxes. We have nowhere near the infrastructure to develop a digital distribution network, especially when we have monopolistic corporations like Comcast and telecoms like Verizon pushing for the most anti-competitive measures in the marketplace to harm consumers' choice and protect their bottom line. I hope Google's fiber network takes off in more locations and forces these tech giants with their antiquated, anti-consumer business practices to shape up or ship out.

[lolCHILLbro]

Microsoft also tried to go the digital route, its better for developers and publishers but not consumers, yet they didnt execute it well, hopefully we dont go all digital but i can see it happening soon especially with the emerging PC market and how well PC is doing with digital marketplaces

[tigertron]

The releases of the PS4 and Xbox One, along with the releases of big games like GTAV and TLOU crushed this stupid argument that mobile games are the future.

[thereapersson]

When even the new systems are shipping with "only" 500GB, and full-length, big-budget titles are upwards of 50GB, I don't see disc-based games going anywhere soon. Those drives fill up fast if you are planning on downloading everything. We also can't forget the fact that everyone made such a stink about not being able to do what they like with their software - something that DRM-laden digital distribution doesn't USUALLY offer - thus proving that consumers aren't anywhere NEAR ready to give up their physical media.

[Gore-Content]

Not gonna click on that link. Just wanted to say, during the hayday of x360, CNN liked to say stuff like "PS3 is a sinking ship". Does it sound like objective journalism to you?

[thereapersson]

Anyone who thinks CNN is relevant has their head buried in the sand.