Over the past few weeks Microsoft has posted openings for various jobs that provide some insight into the future of the company?s popular Xbox brand?and, possibly, the future of gaming.
A position at Lionhead, the developer of the popular Fable franchise, lists that they are looking for an employee that will be ?Key participant in the transformation of Lionhead from a retail focused game developer into a provider of entertainment as a service.?
The last part of this quote is the most important. Over the last few years, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have been moving towards turning gaming into a service, slowly abandoning the traditional retail model of selling video games in stores.
Both Sony and Microsoft have expansive online stores and in some cases, big budget retail games for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, receive same day releases on the internet through Sony?s PlayStation Network. Nintendo has followed suit and is now releasing first party 3DS titles through the Nintendo eShop on the same day that they hit store shelves.
When the next generation of gaming finally arrives, will we be buying most video games exclusively on the internet? With the Wii U, Nintendo has already placed emphasis on their new Nintendo Network online?initiative. Although, you could argue that the creation of the Nintendo Network is just the company trying to catch up with Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.
When it comes to PC gaming, Steam has already proven that this is a viable business model. However, at one time, industry analysts claimed that cloud-based gaming services like OnLive?were the future of video games. OnLive allowed users to stream video games over the internet without the need of a powerful gaming computer, letting gamers play high-end PC games on a variety of devices.
Unfortunately, the world wasn?t really ready for OnLive and recently, most of the company?s staff was laid off. The future of OnLive is still in question and what is actually going on with the service is still yet to be determined.
On the brighter side of the cloud-based gaming equation,?Gaikai, was recently purchased by industry giant Sony for $380 million. So maybe could-based gaming really is the future of video games?
As someone who only occasionally?dabbles?in PC gaming because of my relatively under powered laptop, services like OnLive and Gaikai are one of my only option. It?s either that, or invest hundreds of dollars in a high-end gaming PC. Sony hasn?t announced what they?re planning on doing with Gaikai or if they intend to integrate it into the PlayStation brand. Logically though, Gaikai may play a huge role in Sony?s upcoming successor to the PlayStation 3.
Interestingly, Sony?s worldwide studio vice-president, Scott Rohde, has been quoted saying cloud gaming is ?absolutely inevitable? and that it will be an integral part of the future of the video game industry. Mega publisher, Electronic Arts, has also stated that they will eventually move all of the distribution of their video games to the web.
Will the next-generation of video game consoles be cloud-based? Will most video games be sold virtually in online stores within the next few years? Surely retail games won?t?disappear entirely any time soon, but I can definitely see an increased emphasis on web-based sales when the next-generation of video game consoles finally his store shelves.
The attraction for smaller developers who need an inexpensive and reliable distribution channel for their new products is also undeniable, and the rise of smartphone gaming has created a class of gamer already accustomed to buying games through the cloud.
What do you think? Would you rather purchase a virtual version of a video game or are you still tied to rushing out to your local game store and purchasing that same game on a physical disk or cartridge? TLet us know in the comments section.
?Follow Patrick O?Rourke on Twitter:?@Patrick_ORourke?
Source: http://o.canada.com/2012/10/17/will-buying-video-games-at-a-store-soon-be-obselete/
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