DICE: Shooters "transforming into a service"

After insisting there's room for more than one military shooter in the market, DICE's Patrick Bach told IndustryGamers than be believes shooters are becoming a "service": “I also believe that our free social platform Battlelog will make a huge difference in how people perceive where the game starts and ends. Games, especially FPS titles with their deep persistence and team play are no longer just hard-coded discs. They are transforming into a service.” People sure do love statistics and stuff, it's true. But does that really make it a service?

He also argued that "authenticity" was more important than realism (contrasting the game with the Armas, I suppose): “We are not trying to create a simulator. But the feeling that what happens in the game is plausible and looks real and authentic is important to us.”