Even though digital games are on the rise for Xbox and PlayStation consoles – and will continue to do so with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 arriving next month – there’s still plenty of room for retail releases, according to Microsoft corporate VP Phil Harrison.
In an interview with MCV UK, Harrison explained that despite digital growth, retailers have nothing to fear as far as a lack of physical products. “On a macro-global scale, the world is clearly moving in a digital direction. It is, I think, an unstoppable, inexorable momentum. We are going to see the world be truly digital. But with Xbox One we quite correctly give people choice. They can consume and play games on disc, and get all the benefits of that. Or they can consume games digitally. Remember our games will launch day-and-date on both digital and physical, so it’s up to the user to choose which medium they want and have the benefits of either method.”
Regarding how retailers would “survive,” Harrison stated, “I think if the medium is shifting that does not mean the business model has to shift. From research we have done, consumers like to buy things from retail stores. What they might be buying is a time card or a store value card. Retailers have a very important part to play in the future of the ecosystem, but what they merchandise might shift slightly.”
Source: MCV UK
