NEW FORMAT WAR COULD TIP THE BALANCE BACK TOWARDS TRADITIONAL GAMES FIRMS
THERE WILL be a chunk of readers who think two new consoles at June’s E3 is at best too premature, or, at worst, expensive folly. Certainly I, like many others, heard a little voice in the back of my mind whispering “too soon” when I found out a new Xbox and the next PlayStation are ready for an E3 2012 tease. This past Christmas has offered real pause for thought when it comes to the evolving nature of interactive content. The best selling handheld device last month was a sub-£100 black and white eReader, and on December 25th itself – while the shops were closed – 6.5m Angry Birdsgames were downloaded to new devices.
Wii U and Vita top industry’s watch list
by Christopher Dring
THE biggest names in games have backed Wii U and Vita to dominate 2012.
The two new platforms emerged as retailers and publishers’ most anticipated releases of 2012 in MCV’s 50 Things To Look Forward To In 2012 feature (page 17). “We need some growth in games, and nothing
rejuvenates our industry more than a new home platform,” says Asda’s head of games Andrew Thompson on Wii U. Play.com games buyer
Keith Sharpe added: “I absolutely love Vita and think it’s a great piece of kit that opens up a whole new world to gamers.” BBC Worldwide’s Robert Nashak concurs: “We’re bringing Doctor Whoto Vita at launch and the feature set for Vita will blow your mind.” Retail experts hope the new hardware can spark a
resurgence of innovative game ideas and software – not to mention sales. “The consumer’s appetite for innovation has been outpacing the industry’s ability to deliver it,” said ERA director general Kim Bayley. “That’s why the launch of Nintendo’s Wii U, the first of the next generation
platforms, is so important to us. It is a reminder that in a world hooked on novelty, if we cannot deliver something that’s new, the consumer will simply move on elsewhere.” SCE UK MD and VP
Fergal Gara added: “PlayStation Vita has a massive potential audience in all those who appreciate a high-end gaming experience, and whilst we face many challenges, we’re excited to bring it to market.” You can read more on the industry’s hopes for 2012 over on Page 17.
“Traditional games firms stagnated in the innovation stakes, and that’s when new non-games devices swept in. The market is aching for some long-overdue innovation from them.”
Yes, Kindle, iPad and Android suggest that new consoles aren’t going to settle well at all. But that thinking isn’t quite sound. And that whispering voice we can hear is just an echo of something Don Mattrick must’ve said once at an E3 past about ‘lengthening the console cycle’.
Look back through history and you realise that new consoles are actually late to arrive. Over the last decade and a little further, you can trace a line of industry-driven innovation coming to market each year. PS2 (2000), Xbox and GameCube (2001), Xbox Live (2002), N-Gage, PSP and DS (2003/2004), Xbox 360 (2005), PS3 and Wii (2006)… But the story dries up in 2007, coincidentally the year the first iPhone and Kindle arrived on the market. Balance Board? Move? Kinect? New DS releases? These were iterations on the same idea. Treading water. The big story many of us missed was that the traditional games firms stagnated in the innovation stakes, and that’s when the new wave of non-games devices swept in. The market is now aching for those same companies to inject some long-overdue innovation into it. So the opportunity is there for new consoles to redress the balance. Roll on Los Angeles.
(From left to right) Asda’s Thompson, Play.com’s Sharpe, BBC’s Nashak, ERA’s Bayley and Sony’s Gara expect big things from Vita and Wii U this year