Electronic Arts: Digital sales will surpass boxed game sales in years
As the transition toward a Web-based distribution model continues in the gaming world, EA said it won't leave its physical media users out in the cold.
Electronic Arts expects sales of digital games to surpass those of boxed games in the coming years.
"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,'" EA Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore told Reuters.
As a result, the maker of "Battlefield", "The Sims 3," and "Crysis 3" is likely to increase its range of mobile and free-to-play games.
EA will serve up more than 40 social mobile and free-to-play games this fiscal year, Moore said, and hinted that more games could be added to the firm's roster by year's end.
Mobile device and desktop app stores, such as Apple's App Store and Google's Android-focused Play Store, along with dedicated gaming application stores such as Steam, are increasingly being used by game and application makers to distribute their wares.
EA said recently it has seen a massive increase in registered users of its own digital distribution platform, from 11 million in May to 21 million just a couple of months later.
However, the company said it will not neglect traditional physical media users despite the rise in digital sales.
"We will never abandon physical media. As long as the consumer wants to buy something on a disc, we will be there to offer it," Moore said.