EA Link: Q&A with Chip

If the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3’s online capabilities are any indicator, it seems the newer face of gaming calls for an internet-based shopping system.

And while these three consoles have already made it a staple for their fields, it’s time we take a look at how some of the major developers are expanding in this growing trend, specifically in the PC market.

We’ve already made a recent report on EA Link, and how we’re sure it’ll ease up buying games for you guys out there. In connection with its recent opening, Gamespot interviewed EA’s VP for online commerce, Chip Lange, regarding EA Link.

Chip talked to Gamespot about several topics, such as EA Link’s capabilities aside from distributing and retailing games, and how they foresee its performance in the coming years as online game purchases becomes commonplace.

For the first part, Chris had this to say whether EA Link was simply isolated to distributing and retailing its games:

“No, it’s really designed to be an all-purpose link to our PC customer base to serve everything from distribution of product to keeping software current, to messaging key community activities, to allowing people to experiment and try other types of products through demos, trailers, that type of thing.”

If it sounds like the Xbox 360’s applications and DL capabilities, it’s for a reason: Chris points out that people who’ve been to EA Link will be accommodated in a very similar manner to Microsoft’s XBLA, and offers similar degrees of customizability for their customers – remember the game pics and system theme DL’s for the 360?

Another point of the discussion was the way EA Link had been built. Important aspects such as the payment systems were based on customer feedback from EA Downloader days: Back then, people purchasing games like Battlefield had to leave the Downloader application, then purchase the game on the web. These days, EA Link allows purchases from within its program via Paypal and Click&Buy, which streamlines the whole process.

As for his predictions for the coming future, Chip takes the prudent approach, saying that the gaming industry is difficult to forecast for the next five years. If anything, he foresees a solidifying of this means of buying games, all the more with the aforementioned online purchase capabilities showcased in the three competing consoles.

Feel free to click on the source link to read the full interview.

Via Gamespot

If the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3’s online capabilities are any indicator, it seems the newer face of gaming calls for an internet-based shopping system.

And while these three consoles have already made it a staple for their fields, it’s time we take a look at how some of the major developers are expanding in this growing trend, specifically in the PC market.

We’ve already made a recent report on EA Link, and how we’re sure it’ll ease up buying games for you guys out there. In connection with its recent opening, Gamespot interviewed EA’s VP for online commerce, Chip Lange, regarding EA Link.

Chip talked to Gamespot about several topics, such as EA Link’s capabilities aside from distributing and retailing games, and how they foresee its performance in the coming years as online game purchases becomes commonplace.

For the first part, Chris had this to say whether EA Link was simply isolated to distributing and retailing its games:

“No, it’s really designed to be an all-purpose link to our PC customer base to serve everything from distribution of product to keeping software current, to messaging key community activities, to allowing people to experiment and try other types of products through demos, trailers, that type of thing.”

If it sounds like the Xbox 360’s applications and DL capabilities, it’s for a reason: Chris points out that people who’ve been to EA Link will be accommodated in a very similar manner to Microsoft’s XBLA, and offers similar degrees of customizability for their customers – remember the game pics and system theme DL’s for the 360?

Another point of the discussion was the way EA Link had been built. Important aspects such as the payment systems were based on customer feedback from EA Downloader days: Back then, people purchasing games like Battlefield had to leave the Downloader application, then purchase the game on the web. These days, EA Link allows purchases from within its program via Paypal and Click&Buy, which streamlines the whole process.

As for his predictions for the coming future, Chip takes the prudent approach, saying that the gaming industry is difficult to forecast for the next five years. If anything, he foresees a solidifying of this means of buying games, all the more with the aforementioned online purchase capabilities showcased in the three competing consoles.

Feel free to click on the source link to read the full interview.

Via Gamespot