Though many are worried that PC gaming is on the decline and yearly sales figures from the NPD group seem to corroborate this, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello thinks that is not the case. He believes that the market has actually been "growing for several years" and that it is only "wrong categorized by a heavy focus on retail sales."
Riccitiello's comments coincide with what analyst Anita Fraisure concluded earlier this year on NPD's report on the video game industry: the PC market isn't shrinking, but rather shifting towards digital distribution, micro-transactions and game subscriptions. This also explains EA's growing interest in testing out new revenue models in several of its upcoming titles, including BattleForge and the free-to-play cartoonish multiplayer shooter Battlefield Heroes, both of which are heavily centered on micro-transactions.