EA sees its future as a "100% digital company"

In a new interview, Electronic Arts' EA Labels head man Frank Gibeau says that the publisher is slowly making the move to become "a 100% digital company, period."

Electronic Arts may still be selling games on discs in retail stores, but the head of its EA Labels division claims that in the near future, the publisher will transition into a company that offers nothing but games that are available via download.

In a new interview at Gamesindustry International, EA Labels head Frank Gibeau states, "It's in the near future. It's coming. We have a clear line of sight on it and we're excited about it." He added:

For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and clearly digital services and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future .... we're going to be a 100% digital company, period. It's going to be there some day. It's inevitable.

If that's all true, what about retail stores such as GameStop, Walmart and others that still sell lots of games on disc? Gibeau says that option will remain, at least for now, saying, "We'll continue to deliver games in whatever media formats make sense and as one ebbs and one starts to flow, we'll go in that direction."

In 2011, EA relaunched its online download store as Origin and began selling games from third party publishers several months later.

Source: Gamesindustry International