Hahaha, nice idea, but no, I don't believe that. I for one, wont be playing a FPS game trying to microcharge me at every turn.
However much I dislike saying it, the future of gaming is with Steam and Digital Download services. People have stopped buying $60 games anymore because they turn out being a disappointment 70% of the time. Why do games like Modern Warfare (1), CounterStrike, and Bad Company 2 have the biggest populations right now? They pack all the goods and then some! Games haven't been selling great right now because:
1. They are a ported afterthought.
2. The company destroys a perfect game mechanic (ahem, IWNet I'm talking to you!)
3. The game lacks well thought out story and online support.
4. The game has excessive DRM (Ubisoft....)
Why play the new games when they have all that going against them? The older games are still more popular because they are proven quality titles and the companies supported and cared about them.
Since 2007, we have seen the sequel era. These conpanies are taking their fanbase for granted and simply developing a bad game because of that. Deciding your sequel should have no dedicated servers, no mod support, be a port, or not great patch support the original had, just destroys your sales. The fanbase has responded by pirating these $60 titles since the companies can't be trusted, playing the original, or waiting until it hits the bargain bin.
The customers are not supplying a sudden drop in AAA sales decreases, its the shoddy companies that are forcing us in a direction we don't want to go. The only thing player sparked is Steam movement, the drop in sales is because the people have decided to stop buying these undependable "AAA" titles, when older games are proving BETTER competition than the sequels.
Dont blame us for the crappy sales, blame yourselfs for the shoddy business decisions on sequel titles, and expecting everyone to buy a game that doesn't live up to expectations.
Cutting features out of a sequel isn't exactly a great way to get sales, but many businesses seem to think cutting basic features like dedicated servers and modding tools is "good" for the community.
And on top of all this, you have the Great Recession! The current recession is resulting in tighter purchasing decisions for the consumer, so they buy less AAA titles and stick to what they already have. Companies deciding to remove fundamental features for games in a time when people have less to spend, is just shooting yourself in the foot.
Sorry, we don't buy that ****.
I couldn't have said it better.