????自游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)發(fā)展初期以來，美國藝電（Electronic Arts，EA）已經(jīng)把自己打造成為數(shù)不多的“主流”視頻游戲發(fā)行商之一。該公司與《使命召喚》（Call of Duty）開發(fā)商動視暴雪（Activision Blizzard，ATVI）及《俠盜車手》（Grand Theft Auto）開發(fā)商Take-Two互動軟件公司（Take-Two Interactive，TTWO）一起，在大量視頻游戲公司中占據(jù)了市場的領(lǐng)先地位。一方面，喜歡它們游戲的玩家對它們死心塌地，但另一方面，所謂“鐵桿”玩家陣營的許多人卻對它們不屑一顧。這些鐵桿玩家對這些公司龐大而沉悶的經(jīng)營模式持懷疑態(tài)度。

????但藝電正緩慢而穩(wěn)步地變得與以前不同了。它目前仍然是一家傳統(tǒng)的游戲開發(fā)商——為各類臺式游戲機及便攜式游戲機推出各種游戲，但該公司已經(jīng)找到了一個不斷發(fā)展壯大的新的經(jīng)營模式，那就是數(shù)字化經(jīng)營。

????藝電游戲品牌總裁弗蘭克?吉比奧7月份在接受游戲新聞網(wǎng)站GamesIndustry.biz的采訪時表示，該公司將成為一家完全數(shù)字化的游戲供應(yīng)商，而實現(xiàn)這個目標只是一個時間問題。

????“我們將成為100％數(shù)字化的游戲公司，就是這樣，”吉比奧在采訪時告訴GamesIndustry.biz說。“我們終有一天會達到這個目標，這是不可避免的。”

????這不僅是不可避免的，而且并不遙遠。吉比奧在7月份發(fā)布的一份盈利聲明中宣布，在截至6月30日的12個月期間，藝電在數(shù)字化業(yè)務(wù)方面獲得了超過13億美元的營收。該公司2012年第一財季實現(xiàn)的9.55億美元營收中，有三分之二來自數(shù)字化業(yè)務(wù)。

????藝電在擴展數(shù)字化業(yè)務(wù)方面所做的努力跨越多個領(lǐng)域。該公司為游戲機游戲【比如其勁爆美式橄欖球系列（Madden NFL）游戲】提供數(shù)字化虛擬商品及附加商品。此外，藝電還提供y一個稱為“Origin”的數(shù)字游戲下載服務(wù)平臺，使消費者能夠在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上直接購買、下載各款游戲。

????然而，事實證明，該公司的免費增值型（free-to-play）游戲最為成功。

????在7月份的財報電話會議期間，吉比奧報告稱，該公司在社交網(wǎng)站、個人電腦（PC）、臺式游戲機及移動設(shè)備等平臺上運營的免費增值型游戲是其“增長最快的經(jīng)營模式。”事實上，該季度藝電免費增值型游戲的營收與去年同期相比勁增了156％。

????免費增值模式在游戲行業(yè)已成為一個熱門的趨勢。就藝電的情況而言，免費增值型游戲的玩家們在不需要支付任何費用的情況下，可以玩一款游戲的大部分內(nèi)容（有時甚至包括全部內(nèi)容）。如果他們想增加更多游戲級數(shù)，獲得更多游戲中的武器或物品，或者希望進行其他種類的玩法時，他們只需支付一筆象征性的費用就可如愿，結(jié)果如何呢？藝電的預(yù)收營收減少了，但有機會可以長期獲得更多的現(xiàn)金。

????《模擬人生社交版》游戲（The Sims Social）或許是這方面最好的實例。據(jù)藝電透露，這款免費游戲每天有300萬活躍用戶，而且自去年夏季推出以來已獲得了5,000萬美元的營收。

????那么，像藝電這樣多年來一直高度依賴于封裝式視頻游戲銷售的一家游戲公司為什么可以這么勇敢地闖入一個新的領(lǐng)域呢？正如Wedbush證券公司分析師邁克爾?帕切特最近在給投資者撰寫的一份研究報告中所指出的那樣，一切要歸結(jié)于不斷變化的市場趨勢。“視頻游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)繼續(xù)遭受不利影響，封裝式游戲銷售在過去41個月內(nèi)有35個月出現(xiàn)下滑，而且預(yù)計在8月份會再次出現(xiàn)下滑，”帕切特如是寫道。

????Since the early days of gaming, Electronic Arts (EA) has established itself as one of the few "major" video game publishers. The company sits alongside Call of Duty creator Activision Blizzard (ATVI) and Grand Theft Auto maker Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) at the top of the video game heap. Those companies are at once beloved by gamers who enjoy their titles and despised by many in the so-called "hardcore" segment of players that distrust their big, brooding business models.

????But EA is slowly but surely becoming, well, different. It's still a traditional game maker that pushes out titles for consoles and portables, but it has found a way to take advantage of a new, growing business model: digital.

????Speaking in July with game news site GamesIndustry.biz, EA Games Label president Frank Gibeau said that it's only a matter of time before the company becomes a fully digital game provider.

????"We're going to be a 100% digital company, period," Gibeau told GamesIndustry.biz in the interview. "It's going to be there someday. It's inevitable."

????Not only is it inevitable, but it's not that far off. In an earnings statement in July, Gibeau announced that EA generated over $1.3 billion in digital revenue during the 12-month period ended June 30. During the company's first fiscal quarter, two-thirds of its $955 million in sales were in digital.

????EA's digital efforts span several areas. The company offers digital goods and add-ons for console titles, like its Madden NFL franchise. It also offers a digital-game delivery service, called Origin, that allows consumers to buy titles directly over the web.

????The company's free-to-play games, however, have proven most successful.

????During an earnings call in July, Gibeau reported that his company's free-to-play games, which run on social networks, PCs, consoles, and mobile devices, represent its "fastest-growing business model." Revenues during the quarter on free-to-play games, in fact, were up 156% year-over-year.

????Free-to-play has become a hot trend in the gaming industry. In EA's case, free-to-play gamers are allowed to work their way through a large chunk (if not all) of a game at no charge. If they want to add more levels, get more in-game weapons or goods, or want to engage in other kinds of play, they need to pay a nominal fee to do so. The result? Less upfront revenue, but an opportunity to generate more cash over the long term.

????The Sims Social is perhaps the best example of that. According to EA, the free game has 3 million daily active users and has generated $50 million in revenue since its launch last summer.

????So, why might a company like EA, which has relied so heavily on packaged video game sales over the years, jump so bravely into a new world? As Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter pointed out in a note to investors recently, it comes down to changing market trends.

????"The video game industry continues to suffer, with packaged goods sales declining in 35 of the last 41 months, and expected to have declined again in August," Pachter wrote.