Its EA they say one thing but do another. I dont listen to a word from EA after saying that C & C 4 was a great game.

Digitally extracted and preserved titles can be resold again thirty years from now where as retail outlets don't have shelf space to keep those titles for that long (even if there were enough trees for all the retail boxes).

Consider the site we're on......

Hmm...something else pretty ironic I've just realized.

2012 to 2020 is an eight year span - Doesn't copy right protection kinda weaken after eight years?

If sold again digitally on GOG after 2020, it might serve to, once again, reinforce copy right protection therefor GOG standing in as EA's DRM after 2020. *Grins*

This is, of course, assuming that EA will still be around by then.

Yeah, one of the assumptions is that standard games will get cheaper, but I think they'll either be at the same price or get even more expensive as games get transitioned over from standalone products to subscription service plans. In the interim they'll likely transition into Freemium games which will end up costing more due to DLC.

A little off-topic (and I do not think this has been done before) but look at the comment section of this article on Destructoid about this user named
Alan Argentina

http://www.destructoid.com/battlefield-premium-does-800-000-subscriptions-in-2-weeks-230532.phtml?s=50#comments

Keep reading him in the comment section he pretty much explains the industry is collapsing and DLC is a ripoff

You really come across as just scared of the future here. Not saying none of your points are valid, but the way you present them... As an FYI, they don't need everyone in America to have broadband, they just need the vast majority of gamers to have it, which I would guess is already the case.

Patents get weaker. Trademarks, so long as they are properly enforced, never really weaken.

Copyright does not weaken. In the US, it is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation. And since any thing even remotely profitable will never be allowed to enter the public domain again due to copyright being extended every time Mickey Mouse, for example, comes close to expiring...

Scared of the future? I'm being realistic. You can call me 'scared' if you want to, but if the industry goes to all-DD, I'll just find other ways to spend my money. There's enough previously published games that I could spend the rest of my life playing without a worry about whatever moves they make.

As for "vast majority of gamers", when you are willing to throw away 30-40% or more possible sales for digital distribution (23 million xbl members vs 39 million consoles worldwide, using 2010 numbers - keeping in mind that # of xbl accounts can have mulitple people using the same console, those with subpar connections, those who won't buy out of principle of the thing, etc), you deserve to fail. It took me over a day to download my Witcher 2 backup file here on GoG, for example. I'm not going to do that every time I want to play a AAA game on a console.

Only 68% of the country is subbed to broadband. Roughly 10% of the country has no access to broadband.

It doesn't really matter though, your money and my money are easily replaced by younger and newer gamers. This is something every media type goes through, as people age they spend less and get more principled or thrifty and it's why companies consistently target younger males. You can threaten them with losing your $200 a year or whatever all you want, but they have already factored that in and chosen other routes.

You're still not paying attention, they don't need everyone or even every gamer. Did people shrug off the iPhone as a gaming platform because not everyone has wifi, a cell phone or AT&T or whatever? No, they marketed it to a specific market and raked in the cash. Gaming companies do not need everyone to have broadband, they need a healthy market of people with broadband who want to buy games, which they had 5 years ago and certainly have today, and certainly will have even more of in 10 years.

Even if the numbers are lower (which I doubt by that point) you need to factor in greater revenues from direct sales, lack of manufacturing, lack of shipping, further DLC sales, online service revenue models like free-to-play, smaller budgets for niche audiences, etc. etc.

Call it scared, call it ignorant, call it wishful thinking... no matter what you call it I see your post and arguments more as "I don't want this!" than a rational examination of the future of gaming.

Truth is that the "digital revolution" in game distribution is not as big as it seems. Digital sales and revenue come from older games and discounted games mostly sold in bulk through sales (like Steam sales). People still prefer for the most part physical copies of games (will try to look for the link to articles that I've read recently about this later). DRM is actually pushing towards digital distribution of the Steam variety.

There are two main reasons digital distribution is a problem now: 1) As some have mentioned Bandwidth with reliable internet connections and the appearance of bandwith caps. And 2) Storage capacity. I currently have around 1.5TB worth of games installed on my computer and I don't only buy digital versions of games. This might not be a problem for me but for others it will be.

So basically no publisher can go digital only for their games because they might lose some of those critical first week sales in the process. This is a long-term strategy for publishers which they accomplish not by following consumer demands but by slowly giving them no choice (as is the case of Retail games with Steam activation requirement or games with such horrible DRM at retail that it makes more sense to buy from Steam).

As I get older, I have access to MORE money than I did when I was younger. I have more capability to buy what I want, when I want. I don't have to make the decision between buying a new game or console and having to eat ramen that week or making a minimum credit card payment.

$200 a year? *snort* I haven't spent that little on entertainment since I was an undergrad. And everything I see from you is an "Everything's gonna be fine!" and "Full steam ahead!" examination of the future.

Oh, and nice work on moving the goalposts there. First it was "vast majority of gamers". Now it's "healthy market".

I can pretty much disregard anything and everything you have to say on the matter of digital distribution. It is pointless to have a discussion with you. Good day to you.

Way to go at not refuting anything I said and then shuffling off with an attitude. You're such a fun debater.

Indeed.

And now shit gets more complicated, for publishers at least: http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/europe_it_is_now_allowed_to_sell_used_software_cd_and_digital