NEWS ANALYSIS: THE BREWING APP WAR
Nintendo president Iwata (pictured) and Apple CEO Jobs (right) stood just meters apart at consequtive keynotes last week –but in games their companies are completely opposed
exceed in technology “have the right architecture not just in silicon, but in the organisation building these products”, fusing iTunes and devices perfectly. “Hardware and apps need to intertwine in a seamless way.” But, er, Steve – sounds like you were describing Nintendo. Iwata himself said minutes before: “We see hardware as something our consumers reluctantly purchase to enjoy the games they want. Matching game ideas with our hardware is the surest way to provide meaningful surprises.”
RIVAL SCHOOLS The contrasts, and
are the first admission this trend can impact format holders, too.
And you can see why
he’d be scared: Nintendo is a wonderful firm with a perfect model working to the industry’s favour most of the time. Devalued content upsetting that is a real cause for concern.
TAKE YOUR TABLETS Not a concern for Apple, though. It must revel in the thought of an app tidal wave washing away its rivals. However, games barely got a look in when Jobs was on stage. In that context, Iwata is bang on the money: Apple doesn’t care about game developers. Or if it does, it cares in the way it cares about fitness or business apps firms – means to an end to reach critical mass. New Apple content guidance rules dispel Iwata’s claim that there is no consideration for quality, but heralding a
www.mcvuk.com
bamboozling 10,000+ apps proves a point on quantity. Same when it comes to
“
Hardware and applications need to intertwine in a more seamless way than they do on PC.
Steve Jobs, Apple
iPad versus other tech. Apple is regularly aggressive about market share – just two years ago it opened an iPhone showcase saying apps had outsold DS games. Last week the target was rival tablet devices. Apple’s rivals “are looking at this like the next PC. The hardware and software is from separate companies,” said Jobs of the market Samsung and co have tried to build with Android tablets. By contrast, iPad is a
‘post-PC’ device, he boasted. Yet, it isn’t: you still need to plug an iPhone or iPad into a PC or Mac to validate it through iTunes when you first buy it. Of course, the sheer dominance of iTunes exposes a Nintendo weakness – its fear of the internet, and lack of strong online infrastructure. Jobs said companies like Apple best placed to
similarities, between these two ends of the market couldn’t be clearer. The two, embodied by Nintendo and Apple but including everyone up and down the value chain, are on course for a fight over consumer attentions. A battle bloodier than either camp will admit. Premium boxed game versus cheap app; the irreversible distortion of what a game is worth. The battle is already well underway in fact: that Apple chose to put its event on just after Iwata’s says more than anything either CEO claimed about individuality. All are bidding to transform games. The fact iPad 2 rolls out in the UK on March 25th, same day as the DS (due to shipment and manufacture timings), just rubs salt in a deepening wound. And if there’s another lesson to take from last week’s tale of two CEOs, it’s this: big businesses, whether games firms or other technology giants, have to look after Number One first. For many, they permit us to live in their world, their ecosystem of hardware and content – which means we must and should listen when they speak. Doesn’t
necessarily mean we always believe them, however.
March 11th 2011 9 In Brief
GDC SPECIAL: Headlines from the 2011 Games Developers Conference
ROVIO: Angry Birdsis nearing the 100m sales mark. The title has already hit PS3 and will soon port onto Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS as well as Facebook.
SONY: Revenues from the online PlayStation Store have risen 70 per cent year-on- year. Sony also announced a ‘Move Me’ application which will allow academics to build PC apps for the Move device.
VALVE: The developer outlined plans for biometric gaming – or mind-reading control methods. “What you don’t get with current control schemes is a reading of feeling or long-term goals – we want to attack that issue,” the firm’s in-house shrink said.
ZYNGA: Around 32.5m people played FarmVilleon the most active day in the game’s history.
EPIC GAMES: The developer showcased a high-end demo of next-gen Unreal Engine 3 with some of the new features due later this month.
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CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS:
Nintendo 3DS
Super Street Figher IV 3D Splinter Cell 3D
Videos are available within the free iPad Edition of MCVon iTunes and the free Browser-based Digital Edition, which can be accessed at
MCVUK.com
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