New Microsoft studio “Lift” London based, will be making games exclusively for the cloud.
Everyone is starting to see and feel that trend where games are going more of a digital route, cloud based in fact. With examples like Steam and Origin leading the way it wont be long before other platforms head that route permanently. You can already buy full games on the PSN and Xbox Live network.
Disc-based gaming isn’t leaving us just yet, there is still a huge market for this but the future lies with digital distribution. This is what Microsoft’s corporate vice president Phil Harrison declared yesterday during the unveiling of the firm’s new Lift London studio, which will make games exclusively for the cloud.
Phil bluntly came out and said to the street retailers that they shouldn’t worry and reassured them that the digital shift wouldn’t be at their expenses. His vision is that they start moving in a direction that 90% of content is located on disc the rest of it is located in digital purchases and he hopes to hook gamers into a 5 year commitment upon purchasing a disc with releasing multiple DLC’s and Season Passes per title. “What I would encourage you to think is that the disc is the start of a five-year relationship with the gamer, we will try to refine and extend the product over many years. It is not mutually exclusive. We don’t have to stop doing disc products to be cloud-centric.”
Former Rare exec Lee Schuneman echoed this digital movement that Harrison proposed, as he was brought on as Lift London head. “Phil’s view, one I support, is that the traditional game release model – which has a massive up-front design, development and marketing cost and a relatively short 16 week window after the game comes out for returns – is changing. Of course, we’re still going to see the blockbuster games, the Halo’s, the Call of Duty’s. They’re not going to disappear anytime soon. But for the larger networked majority of gamers we plan to use a much more nimble, streamlined development cycle.”
Lifts primary objectives is to create games for Microsofts digital platform, not just Microsoft. They are uniting their brand and trying to create an ecosystem like Apple did. Which in doing this is helping themselves branch out and reach consumers.
I find it interesting that Phil Harrison is trying to hook gamers into a five year commitment by purchasing games. Gamers all over are definitely not happy about this saying games may be rushed out and may not contain the full game within the disc ensnaring people to a digital purchasing frenzy. What do you think about this new digital strategy?
Source: OXM
