Forget about PC gaming being dead, now some are saying that console gaming is dead instead. Rovio head Peter Vesterbacka says that "console games are dying" and that innovation in gaming has shifted to the mobile and social space. The comments came about during a panel discussion at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. Vesterbacka added that innovation is possbile in the social and mobile space because companies are more "nimble" and release content quickly.
"As mobile gaming - including games on tablet devices like the iPad - continues to grow, console games are "dying," he said.
Vesterbacka also took a shot at Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata's GDC comments, pointing out that the traditional model where companies charge $40 to $50 for a game that's "difficult to upgrade" no longer works.
Vesterbacka added that the key for his company is to continue experimenting and not become attached to any particular model.
That may prove to be difficult when the admiration and excitement for its marquee title, Angry Birds wears off.
Last week Rovio secured an impressive $42 million, but where the company goes after Angry Birds is a big question mark. That talk of innovation will certainly be put to the test.
Source: Venture Beat
Comments
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
inflammatory, self-serving and transparent lies (I mean, strategic marketing!) from someone in direct competition with consoles... hmm, why am i not surprised?
if this guy doesn't understand gamers, how can he possibly predict their future? even non-gamers know that 'core' gamers are ferociously loyal and have lots of disposable income. casual gamers are fickle with their loyalty and money - they can show up en masse and take off en masse with no monetary or ideological investment to keep them engaged. no one calls casual gaming a hobby! no one is passionate about casual gaming other than casual gaming devs!
I'm not saying games should be expensive but there's a reason why Black Ops is the best selling game in history despite a $60 price tag during a bad economy. it's also the dynamic that makes big budget SFX films successful and why low budget horror flicks get panned by everyone except those who benefit from the meager profits they make with little risk or initial investment - would you rather be guaranteed to make 5% on your small investment or risk 50%-or-nothing on a larger, riskier investment? these d-bag suits don't want to think so they take the lazy road and then we all suffer. but the big budget SFX flicks aren't going anywhere. why? the insatiable fans.
who will save zynga if facebook becomes unpopular like myspace? the fans? Will the farmville players on FB flock to wherever farmville goes? doubtful. how much 'success' would rovio have if they didn't give away angry birds for free on so many platforms? casual gaming is only about convenience and immediacy, if either of those conditions are false, they're not going to play anymore. a core gamer will call into work sick on the day a Halo sequel is released - which casual games can illicit that kind of response?
this guy is either lying through his teeth or is clueless but definitely full of unjustified hubris.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
Just because a million grandmothers are willing to spend their medication money on Angry Birds and Farmville doesn't mean that there aren't gamers out there wanting games on consoles with more substance.
-Ultimately what will do in mankind is a person's fear of their own freedom-
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
There are still milloins more spent on console games than anything else.
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Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
You may have made a succesful mobile game Rovio but that dosen't mean you get to be cocky; that's reserved for those that makes 5 succesful mobile games.
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Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
There's at least some degree of soundness in the "console games are harder to patch" argument, although this is due more to the policies of console manufacturers than to any inherent weakness in console gaming. Compare the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Monday Night Combat to see what I mean.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
Very much this, Techno.
Console gaming, much like PC gaming, is FAR from dying. Hell, the Kinect is helping Microsoft move MORE 360s than ever before.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
Or the PC and console versions of Team Fortress 2.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
Over the last 20 years, the following things have been proclaimed to be dead, multiple times:
- Personal Computers
- PC Gaming
- Console Gaming
- Western-developed games
- Mobile games
- Japanese games
- Disc-based games
Funny where we are now.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
If Rovio makes another game even close to as good and successful as Angry Birds, then maybe, maybe, they will be worth listening to.
But if they can't repeat their success, it means they got lucky... and if that's the case, listening to them proclaim the end of console gaming is like listening to a lottery winner tell you that "the economy is doing fine!".
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
Don't forget that in the list of the dead, there is also: Disco, God, and Music:)
Not that I believe consoles will die, but it is alot more possible that mobile gaming takes some of the consoles market as it grows. Kinda like when Linux got going.
Re: Rovio: Console Games Are Dying
sgifted?