There’s no question that the video game industry (and media in general) is becoming increasingly more digital. Digital storefronts have exploded in popularity in the last decade, with an increasing number of games being digital-only. One such medium that has only begun to take off in the video game realm is digital streaming. While streaming hasn’t completely taken off in the video game industry yet, it’s certainly on its way. And one person in particular thinks embracing it is essential: Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda.
In a New Year’s message, Matsuda detailed plans for the company in 2019. Part of that plan includes a bigger emphasis on streaming services. He outlined a number of reasons as to why a focus on streaming is so important. One is that “streaming is likely to bring a number of new platform operators into the market,” which is obviously a huge factor for any company in the industry.
In addition, Matsuda said he believes the proliferation of digital interfaces “provide a growing number of avenues” to distribute content to consumers. Because of that, in his words, “we believe deciding how to engage with these forthcoming trends will be key to future growth.”
He didn’t outright say how the company plans to focus on streaming in 2019. He mentioned streaming “lends itself to new subscription-based business models,” so we could possibly see the company pull an EA and create its own service.
Streaming has definitely raised in prominence over the years. Both Sony and Microsoft have affirmed their commitment to streaming, with PlayStation Now leading the charge. Key faces from both 2K and Ubisoft have offered their thoughts on the potential of streaming. Streaming is definitely here to stay, but we shall see what these third parties have up their sleeves in the future.
[Source: Square Enix]
