It was clear early on at the San Francisco Game Developer’s Conference that the vibe was a bit different than previous conferences. Some of the events feel a bit more personal, as travel budgets have been cut. Regardless one announcement drew a good amount of buzz: the launch of Onlive, a subscriptions revenue alternative to buying or renting video games. Bigger picture here – what’s most interesting about the announcement is the gaming industry as a whole embracing an all-you-can-eat model for content, which the recording industry has long fought (to their deteriment, many would say). The idea seems to be gaining traction to combat both piracy as well as the margin erosion of secondary market sales.
And a few (admittedly grainy) iphone photos of the conference while I’m at it. Enjoy:
