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Home > Archive > Nintendo gamecube > September 2004 > Expect fewer games in this coming generation
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Expect fewer games in this coming generation
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| R500-- R520 2004-09-13, 5:46 pm |
| NEXT-GEN GAMES AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
Expect much fewer games on next-gen consoles, warns developer, as
development times prepare to shoot through the roof
13:16 The number of games releasing on the likes of Xbox 2 and PS3 are
likely to become less and less, an industry developer has warned,
claiming that technological advancements and demands for more complex
software will lead to projects requiring at least two years
preparation before they can enter development.
"We have the opportunity to elevate games to be the tenth art," said
Tameem Antoniades, the co-founder of Just Add Monsters at last week's
European Game Developers Conference. "[However] the expectations of
players and publishers are rocketing. With every new generation,
people want more realism."
Then - referencing the nine-moths his Cambridge-based team has already
spent prototyping a next-gen samurai slasher entitled Heavenly Swords
- he added : "We found that everything takes a very long time to
make."
Antoniades' warning echoes similar comments recently made by EA's vice
president Jeff Brown, who told BBC News that due to a rise in
development costs, companies have to invest extra time into ensuring
that their products are good enough to sell.
It is a progression that is also likely to see a reduction in the
number of independent developers unable to recover from just a single
failed risk.
"I don't see the retail price increasing as games are already
expensive," added Antoniades, allaying initial fears that the rise in
costs would be reflected at retail. "In the past, sales of 500,000
units would be a hit. Now you need to sell millions.
"In the next generation there will be far fewer publishers, sinking
their money into far fewer games. I believe that most independent
developers will disappear, either through going bust or due to merger
or acquisition."
Of course, this is a trend that is already being witnessed with the
current crop of consoles. Galleon developer Confounding Factor is
suspected to have closed after spending literally years developing the
Xbox game, while developer/publishers like Rage went bankrupt after
big investments such as David Beckham Soccer failed to recuperate
sufficient revenue at retail.
Still, as the famous saying goes, it's quality not quantity, and while
fewer games may be mooted on the next batch of home consoles, as long
as the quality is sky-high, should us gamers really be complaining? Of
course, a big concern is that of originality and innovation, which may
be sacrificed in favour of big sequels and licenses. Plus, a
monopolisation is rarely good for any industry.
How the gaming world pans over the two next years or so will make for
very interesting reading indeed.
Stephen Daultrey
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/front_index.php?
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| Gern Blansten 2004-09-13, 5:46 pm |
| R500-- R520 wrote:
quote:
> NEXT-GEN GAMES AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
>
> Expect much fewer games on next-gen consoles, warns developer, as
> development times prepare to shoot through the roof
>
> 13:16 The number of games releasing on the likes of Xbox 2 and PS3 are
> likely to become less and less, an industry developer has warned,
> claiming that technological advancements and demands for more complex
> software will lead to projects requiring at least two years
> preparation before they can enter development.
> "We have the opportunity to elevate games to be the tenth art," said
> Tameem Antoniades, the co-founder of Just Add Monsters at last week's
> European Game Developers Conference. "[However] the expectations of
> players and publishers are rocketing. With every new generation,
> people want more realism."
That's an interesting article. I wonder if that'll mean some publisher
will continue offering new PS2/X-Box1 games even after the debut of the
next-gen consoles...
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| TheLightsAreOn 2004-09-13, 5:46 pm |
| Gern Blansten wrote:
quote:
> R500-- R520 wrote:
>
> That's an interesting article. I wonder if that'll mean some publisher
> will continue offering new PS2/X-Box1 games even after the debut of the
> next-gen consoles...
I would bet Microsoft would say no at first. If Sony and Nintendo allow it,
they would change their mind.
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