Take-Two, the parent company for developers like Rockstar and 2K, predicts an entirely digital future for video games. This means there will be no more discs to buy, cases to accidentally sit on and definitely no user manuals to not read. This digital future may also become reality sooner than you think.
This information comes from a speech made by Take-Two President Karl Slatoff at the Credit Suisse 21st Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, by way of GamesIndustry.biz. "I think over the long term, it will be 100% [digital]," he said at the conference. "I just can't predict whether that's five years, 10 years, or 20 years. It's probably less than 20 and maybe more than five, but I think it ultimately gets there. That's the zeitgeist. Things are moving in that direction.”
Slatoff recognized the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live as strong motivators for gamers to buy digital versions of games, but recognizes game developers and publishers still make tons of money with physical copies.
"The truth is physical retail is still the majority of our business, and very important partners of ours," said Slatoff. "And we want to do everything we can to support that environment. And we do. They're very strong marketing and distribution partners for us. But again, it's out of our control. Whether we want it or not, it looks like it's going to happen eventually."
Slatoff also took the opportunity to talk about lootboxes, and his comments won’t encourage critics of the current microtransaction trend. "The whole gambling regulator thing, we don't view that sort of thing as gambling. Our view of it is the same as the ESA statement for the most part," he said. "That's going to play its course, but in terms of the consumer and the noise you hear in the market right now, it's all about content. It's about overdelivering on content and making sure you're focused on engagement. That has been our strategy and where we're focused, and as long as you keep your eye on that ball, you're going to be OK. The consumer's going to be really happy with what they get."
In other words, as long as people keep spending money, Take-Two is going to keep charging them. Remember folks, speak with your wallet if you don’t want unnecessary microtransactions in games. Yes, that might mean your Ultimate Team isn’t going to be as good as others or whatever, but that’s the only way companies will listen.
So what do you think? Would you be upset if companies stopped making physical game discs in the future? How do you feel about the whole “lootboxes are gambling” debate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
