EA CEO: "PC Gaming Growing"

PC gaming has been touted as a dying trend by many analysts as well as game developers, with many shifting to consoles for fear of piracy. However, EA CEO John Riccitiello offers a different point of view. While speaking on the state of PC gaming, he stated his belief that the market has been “growing for several years” and that it has been “categorized wrongly” by a focus on retail sales.

“One of the things we try to look at EA is the total business represented on PC game software, and we’re seeing a growth in business there. It’s been growing for several years,” Riccitello said during a financial conference call.

“It’s just been categorized wrongly by looking simply at the box side of the equation, he added.”The fastest growing [sector] is subscription, microtransactions-based and casual games, many of which are pretty much centered on the PC.”

He notes that the publisher is focusing on said microtransactions through BattleForge and the free-to-play multiplayer shooter Battlefield Heroes. Riccitiello, however, admits that retail sales has been “soft”, noting that if not for The Sims and World of Warcraft, it would be a “pretty dismal sector.”