The gaming industry has been undergoing some major transformation in recent years, exploring new business models and utilising distribution channels.
Some analysts are of the opinion that the industry is struggling to survive in the evolving ecosystem and therefore trying out different things to find something that might delay the so-called inevitable fate.
Electronic Arts (EA) chief operation officer Peter Moore, however, is of an entirely different opinion and believes that the transformation is all about stepping into the future and embracing the new trends.
Returning from the gamescom show that was recently held in Cologne, the EA executive looks extremely optimistic about the future of the industry. In a blog update on his company’s official website, he came out to state with conviction that the industry looks as good and energetic as ever.
“No matter which way you looked – this crazy industry, the industry I love, is more vibrant than ever. The energy, excitement and passion for what we do has never looked stronger,” said Moore.
Irrespective of what some analyst are trying to assert, Moore does not seem worried about what is going on in the industry at the moment as he saw a huge crowd of enthusiastic gamers attending gamescom. Rather than getting bothered by the dynamic gaming industry, they appear to have embraced it and appreciate it, as seen by their very attendance at the show.
He pointed out that a lot of things had changed in the gaming industry and a lot of changes are still in the pipeline. However, these changes are only serving to make everything better rather than ruining them. New distribution channels, wide range of games to choose from, more competition, new models, all these things are contributing to the growth of the industry instead of signalling a gradual death as many analysts are wrongly assuming.
“It is a changed industry, no doubt. At every turn, there is transition and challenges. There are more gamers than ever playing games across more devices. Games that are services as opposed to one-time purchases. They have more ways to obtain games, and certainly many more ways to play. But these are hardly the descriptions of a downtrodden industry. These are transitions of growth and opportunity,” said Moore.
In his blog entry, the EA COO discussed the effects of the on-going changes on the overall industry and the products that it is churning out. He noted that mobile gaming allows publishers to reach out to more gamers than ever before, whereas alternative distribution channel leads to diversification. The free-to-play model is another thing that Moore expects to improve the industry and prepare it for the future, compelling the developers to lay down a greater focus on quality as players will be testing a game before actually purchasing it.