As digital distribution continues to grow more and more prevalent in the gaming industry, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson believes that the ongoing competition between platforms like Steam and Origin will be instrumental in aiding the evolution of the industry.
In an interview with Gamespy, Notch explained why he’s excited to see competition in the online space.
I think it’s a bit dangerous to only have one digital distribution platform like Steam. I love Valve, but out of principle, I find the idea of one platform a bit scary.
So I like that there are others competing – for example, Desura and Impulse, who recently got bought by GameStop. It’s a good thing that there are more.
With regard to EA’s online platform Origin, Persson went on to add:
Origin does a couple things badly compared to Steam – which is impressive since they had eight years to study Steam. They should definitely have a chance to do their thing, but they might want to move away from titles that make people use it and show people why they should use it.
But I think, in principle, it’s a good thing.
While the Minecraft mastermind didn’t specifically reference Sony and Microsoft’s online markets, the same can be said for PSN and Xbox Live.
What are your thoughts on digital distribution? Would a single platform monopoly be a detriment to the future of gaming? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
