What if the end of physical games announced for years accelerated? In any case, here is another step from EA.
It’s about the German newspaper games economy that we could hear the news. Fewer and fewer games are bought on physical media and at the same time revenues from downloads, in-app purchases, subscriptions are increasing. This is particularly the case with EA (Electronic Arts). For this reason, the physique threatens to disappear (for the time being) in the Germanic countries.
More physical EA versions for our German neighbors?
The European branches of EA are now facing such far-reaching changes, as is EA GmbH, based in Cologne’s Rheinauhafen, which employs around 100 people and, in addition to the German market, also operates from Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
The latest report from the German branch of the American company states:
The ongoing shift from physical goods to digital downloads continues to negatively impact revenue development. Digital download revenue is not processed by EA but by an affiliate.
Consequently, an economic restructuring was initiated by the company and EA did not do so “will generate more sales with packaged products” in German-speaking countries. That means there will be no more physical games in Germany and in countries managed by the Germanic part of the company (Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia). The end of an era? Either way, it’s another step closer to the end of the game in a box, much to the dismay of collectors and nostalgics of all stripes.
What do you think of the phasing out of physical versions of our video games?
