EA has noticed how quick people have taken to the full game download avenue of software acquisition and they believe that console trend will only continue.
The executive will depart next summer - chief studios officer Laura Miele will take over the COO role as search begins for new CFO.
I have a feeling this Laura Miele can bring about some positive changes in EA.
Less forced live service games, less mtx, more freedom to devs in engine choices and less intrusion during game's design & production.
If this will get us more remasters/remakes of their classic games, then great. If not, then don't care.
During Electronic Arts' financialsl Andrew Wilson and Blake Jorgensen talked about the partnership with Xbox Game Pass and more.
EA was on board with Microsoft for always online. They also hated used games sales because they didn't get a cut of the used profits. They tried and failed. So, they came up with EA Access. The only company on console with this service. Why is that?
And now, they are on board in pushing subscription services. Both things cut into used game sales, trading and lending. Which is why Gamestop is struggling. They make more money on used than new games. With a subscription, EA makes the money off of old games than used retail stores and selling your games. It's their right because it's their content. But call it what it is instead of "opportunities."
When I ran a game store, the most used game on the shelf were EA's games. Tons of them. So yes. In a way, their subscription cuts down on their shelf clutter. But the obvious effects are what I stated: Gamestop and other used game shops suffer. And trading and lending is toast.
EA is only going to tell you what they want you to hear. Not what you can clearly see with your eyes. Their subscription is to eat into used. End of.
Always online was such a visionary and great feature that people raged against in ignorance and killed. How awesome would it have been to sell your digital rights to a game to someone else in a used digital games store? People heard always online, didn't realize that was an occasional check to see you have the rights to a game. Kinda similar to how games check-in to see if you're updated now anyways.
Ea play was a big pickup for gamepass, I'm never buying an EA game again. 0 reason to now.
Today, during Electronic Arts’ conference call, CEO Andrew Wilson and CFO Blake Jorgensen talked about the pricing of their games.
Sounds like damage control for an upcoming bad game. Squadrons in trouble?
My take: we have to be careful with SW franchise since Disney is looking at us given the MX fiasco in Battlefront II.
Physical copies of games tend to have better and more deals than physical copies of games on consoles. Digital copies of games on consoles needs to get better in terms of deals and even pricing if we do go all digital in the future, especially since you don't have to pay retailer fees, distribution fees, packaging and manufacturing fees, etc, like you do with physical copies of games.
I hope we don't go all digital anytime soon though. Publishers and developers will have even more control over the content that we buy if everything is digital. It just opens up more doors for publishers and developers to screw us (as if they aren't doing it enough already).
And I'll keep buying physical copies
lol they just want to control the servers so they can force you to upgrade yearly.
Guess they're counting access, I like my physical copies!
An all digital future for console will be weird.
Unlike PC, consoles are not open.
You won't have the situation where places like Steam,GoG, Green Man, and Gamersgate are all fighting for your dollar - competition.
It's still a closed platform where the console manufacturer, publishers, and developers all decide, themselves, what should be on offer, and at what price.
And it's all there to benefit them in some capacity.
Let's be honest here though ..
In a world where we are arguing how realistic it is that consoles will go the fully streaming route, we aren't far behind a purely digital future.