Sega: “Death of packaged games is a total exaggeration”

We’ve all heard it one place or another: the future is digital and packaged games are set to fade. Not according to Sega West CEO Mike Hayes. Speaking with Industry Gamers, Hayes called the death of packaged games a “total exaggeration,” adding that both will continue to coexist.

“Net-net people are playing games more, net-net, the business is still growing, and in a way, some of the new businesses we’re growing are less risky. So I think that the death of packaged games is a total exaggeration,” said Hayes. “But I think there’s probably going to be a lot of necessary pruning and good husbandry [across the industry], which means that the quality for the consumer in the end is actually going to be better, because people are going drill into what they know is going to be successful.”

He added: “I think everyone’s saying it’s becoming all digital and no packaged; I just can’t see that. I think both are going to coexist to a greater or lesser degree.”

Read the full interview at Industry Gamers, where Hayes talks the death of the double-A game and new IP for downloadable platforms.