Move to net publishing

The signs and portents are all around us: ultimately, physical game distribution is going to die. With the rise of networks like Steam and Xbox Live, Wired's David Kushner argues, there seems to be little reason to spend millions on physical publishing infrastructures. "Even as the videogame industry’s sales have eclipsed movie box office take in the US, the industry remains hostage to Hollywood’s blockbuster mentality: big budgets, bigger production teams, sweeping prerendered cinematics, slavish photorealism. But, as with Hollywood, the game business is not booming. Total US sales – which include console and handheld titles, hardware, and accessories – have flattened since 2002, and major gamemakers, like Electronic Arts and Atari, are posting big losses."

Kushner points to the success of titles like Bejeweled and Geometry Wars, but could cheaper, simplified games with mass appeal mean the death of more complex titles like Spore, or even GTA San Andreas? And what will happen to the companies (and workers) behind physical distribution, like Electronics Boutique? Kushner doesn't answer these questions, so it remains to be seen.

by MacNN Staff