EA: digital sales will overtake boxed games

Peter Moore sees a very bright future for digital game distribution

Jeremy ProomeAugust 13, 2012

Electronic Arts is backing the growth of digital game distribution, and believes it’ll become the number one channel for games.

EA is expecting digital revenue to exceed that of in-store retail software within a few years, and will be riding the wave when digital does jump to number one.

“There will come a point, whether it is two or three years from now, when we say: ‘We are doing more in digital media now than we are in physical media,’ and it’s clearly … not far away,” EA’s COO Peter Moore said in an interview.

“This fiscal year we have 41 social mobile and free-to-play games on the slate, and later in the year we might make announcements about more games coming,” Moore continued, emphasising EA’s embrace of digital content.

EA have seen its digital revenue jump up 55 percent in the first quarter.

The company also expects $2.6 billion in worldwide revenue from physical goods and $1.7 billion from digital products in its fiscal year to March 2013.