E3 2010: ANALYSIS 40 MCV 11/06/10
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Left to right: Ubisoft’s Murray Pannell, Take-Two’s Ben Feder, MTV Games’ Scott Guthrie, Codemasters’ Rod Cousens, Sega’s Mike Hayes discuss the pressure on E3 2010
investments from both first and third party developers, and I really think that the motion controllers will allow core audiences a new and interesting way to interact with their games.” In Natal and Move, we potentially see the best hope of revitalising the industry. With no word of a successor to Xbox 360 or PS3, the controllers could provide the boost in interest and sales that a new console launch would. “We have high hopes for both Natal and Move because new hardware peripherals can do what no software product can do: adding never seen before functionality to the platforms itself and thus providing game developers with new possibilities and opportunities,” says Tradewest CEO Martin Spiess. However, while the industry is excited about these new devices, many have warned that the transition to motion control gaming will not be a simple process.
“I think you are going to see experiences purpose-built for Natal, rather than existing games re-purposed for it,” says Moore. “There will be a lot of trial and error. I don’t think it will be about Madden
Natal or FIFA Natal. It will be about brand new experiences that bring that technology to life.” Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens adds: “There may well be opportunity for creativity and innovation to prevail. The question is whether Natal and
Move can emulate or surpass Nintendo’s success or whether it’s a case of ‘been there, done that’ by the consumer.”
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WII’S SHADOW And it’s herein that the true burden lies. Motion control, while perhaps more advanced in Natal and Move is nothing new to the industry, thanks to the success of the Nintendo Wii. What impact did that truly have on the market? Was the
gaming demographic broadened, or merely diluted? Key titles point to the former, but as the Wii’s sales continue to drop and with no killer new hardware to provide the same boost, is Nintendo about to be overtaken by its now motion-sensitive rivals?
The market has changed since this generation began. We no longer need a new machine to discover new experiences. Sarah Seaby, Bethesda
experiencing is simply the natural consequence of its success. Whether or not Nintendo needs something new like Natal to reinvigorate the Wii market remains to be seen.
“Nintendo brings an interesting consumer element that the other two guys don’t,” says Guthrie. “The install base is there and Wii will continue to be a big player. Nintendo, like all of us, needs to continue to re-invent itself and drive creativity.” Many believe that the decline the Wii is
”
“There is a point in any console´s lifecycle when some sort of market saturation kicks in,” says Spiess. “But historically Nintendo has always succeeded in keeping their specific market segments vitalised.” “Nintendo couldn’t do anything wrong for a couple of years and now everyone’s writing its obituary,” says Sega West’s CEO Mike Hayes. “All I can do is point to the sales we’ve had on the mainstream titles, like Just Dance. What part of that says Wii is not successful? There is at least another big Christmas for the Wii.”
PLAYING THE LONG GAME In fact, all three platform holders are in for a big Christmas. Here we have three consoles, either approaching or past the
E3 SPECIAL
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