Forget the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3; there’s a new king in town.
The head of Electronic Arts John Riccitiello believes that the future of gaming is in the PC market.
That was certainly true a decade or two ago, but with the rise of console games and an expansion to casual audiences, it seemed that segment of the industry was on the way out. But then, even newer trends began to grow in the industry.
In an interview with CNBC, Riccitiello said, “The fastest growing platform for video games today is the PC, but it’s growing through subscriptions, through micro transactions and through downloads.”
That is to say, the PC game market has managed to have a comeback through the issue of convenience. You can now start playing a PC game, subscribe to an MMO, get everything on your computer, and even gain access to new expansions and add-ons without ever leaving your desk at home.
Yes, you can do all that on a PS3 or Xbox 360 too, but the difference is on the PC, all the above is happening more and more to players who don’t even pay a dime.
It’s through things like premium DLC and premium subscription fees that PC games are starting to turn a profit, and this is a business model that remains unproven on consoles. Riccitiello described it as “the culture of building something like a broadway play where you go on every night instead of a canned television performance that’s done once and it’s done.”
Of course, as time goes on, this will only continue to bleed into the console gaming world as well, meaning this isn’t something that can exclusively exist in the PC market. Nevertheless, it is no doubt rejuvenating that market.
