Garrettwannabe on 29/11/2009 at 03:42
Very interesting interview with Square Enix Chief from (
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36665/Square-Enix-Consoles-set-for-extinction) MVCUK Article Link discussing future of consoles. Not a console player here - so would love to hear others feedback on this one. :erm:
Quote:
Square Enix: Consoles set for extinctionby Michael French
Yoichi Wada says trade must prepare for switch to digital distribution and server-based games
Square Enix chief Yoichi Wada is preparing his firm for the demise of physical media – and potentially the death of home consoles.
In an exclusive interview with MCV that will be published next week, the CEO of the publisher – which now owns Eidos and is famous for its epic disc-based Final Fantasy games – said that a dramatic change will come in the next decade offering more opportunity for market growth, but fundamentally transforming the traditional industry.
“In ten years’ time a lot of what we call ‘console games’ won’t exist,” he said.
Wada warned that “
all the distributors and sales firms will suffer a big negative impact” from a new era in which interactive entertainment switches from software run on hardware in the home to server-based offerings, game streaming and digital distribution.
He claimed that format-holders including Sony and Microsoft are already prepared for the shift – and that third-parties must follow suit.
“Somewhere around 2005 the console manufacturers’ strategy shifted,” he said.
“In the past the platform was hardware, but it has switched to the network. A time will come when the hardware isn’t even needed anymore.
“With that, any kind of terminal becomes a potential platform on which games can be played – that’s exponential growth in the potential of gaming. The potential size of the market is enormous.”He explained that Square Enix is preparing for this change by ramping up production of social and browser games at its Japanese studios, and also closely monitoring 2010’s beta roll-out of PS3 MMO Final Fantasy XIV.
“Social and browser games are going to grow dramatically – especially in areas like Asia which does not have as big a console market,” he said.
june gloom on 29/11/2009 at 03:50
oh god
INCOMING SHITSTORM
*panic hilarity ensues*
Kerin on 29/11/2009 at 04:05
WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE WON'T BE ANY MORE GAMES SOON WILL MY OLD CONSOLES STILL WORK OR WILL I HAVE TO RE-PURCHASE BANJO KAZOOIE THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING THIS IS ILLEGAL WHAT IS BEING DONE WITH THE VIDEO GAMES I HAVEN'T BEEN SO MAD SINCE THEY TOOK AWAY MY AMERICA ONLINE HOMETOWN WEBSITE ACCOUNT FUCKKKK
denisv on 29/11/2009 at 06:22
Strictly speaking this is true, since the world ends in 2012.
Koki on 29/11/2009 at 07:15
Down with the consoles! PC forever! :mad:
Freeeeeeeeeeeedoooooooooooommm
demagogue on 29/11/2009 at 07:27
Quote:
ramping up production of social and browser games
Not exactly the glorious renaissance of the PC and fall of the console-era I was hoping for. :erg:
Phatose on 29/11/2009 at 08:43
It's the same old school of thought that leads to main-frame games. Vast Bandwith, widespread piracy, that leads to server-only games.
Freedom? LOL. This is pay to play Iphone gaming.
If ever they have the bandwidth to not give you so much as a client, so it will be. This should not be a surprise to anyone with an ounce of economic sense. Stealing IP is the modis operandi of the modern age. If they can defeat it, they will.
Fragony on 29/11/2009 at 09:03
Weren't they already pretty far with this? Remember reading about being able to run Crysis on a pentium 300 because a central computer is doing all the crunching. Not that odd a thought, all that remains for the CPU is a display and key-commands, forgot the name.
Koki on 29/11/2009 at 09:08
No, no, no and no.
henke on 29/11/2009 at 10:14
Quote Posted by Phatose
This is pay to play Iphone gaming.
Sure, but on the other hand you won't need to buy a new console/upgrade your computer every few years. And the end-user will get access to all the games, not just the ones that would've been published on his platform of choice.