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Re: PlayStation Meeting Feb. 20: See the future
Yes, but you're "not worried" for PS4, but when the name changes to Nintendo suddenly you'd combat these same points. It takes a while to generate a new RPG or a new IP and they generally do not get realized at launch - in fact, pretty much everything that hits a game launch that hasn't had the pleasure of being a Mario or Halo game has long since been removed from the memory of gamers.
Heavenly Sword? Neat for its time but now no one cares. Untold Legends? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Forgotten twice from PSP to PS3. 360 had... Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo (or a Gamecube game on Xbox 360).
The only reason to even be optimistic about PS4 is the same reason as Wii U- a friendlier environment for indies, but if Sony thinks indies are going to pledge exclusives after seeing Sony allow thangamecompany to go into debt during their exclusivity deal with The Journey, they can think again. There's no incentive to be exclusive. I don't think their current approach is any healthier than how Nintendo or MS have handled it on Wii and 360.
I'm cynical toward the industry because there's good reason to be. This industry is still young, but its getting to the point where it needs to have its spirit broken. There's just so much unregulated bullshit that's allowed to go out its practically a mirror image of the music industry 15 years ago. I'm hoping that Kickstarters and a greater environment for indies is the swift kick in the ass big publishers need - but the destruction of the F2P model at the hands of EA, UbiSoft and Square-Enix shows me they can still worm their way into anything and twist it to suit their purposes.
Now because that worked so well for them, you're seeing microtransactions become a part of every future EA game. Just like co-op or multiplayer are forced into every other game whether its needed or not. Online-only games where you're never alone and must play with others is a big, wet dream for a lot of big publishers now.
Shortsighted? Totally. But the fuckers at Crytek are already salavating over the idea of twisting the structure of a game like Dark Souls to their own ends to eradicate offline single-player. The fact that only 30% of consoles are even constantly connected to the internet is not a thought in their heads, much less the disparity in the quality of online connections - as evidenced by Sony themselves, who are building an entire business strategy around something there's no real market for in Gaikai. Sure, OnLive is around, but not without great sacrifice.
It boggles my mind that Skyrim can sell like six million and we have CEOs that act like its a fad that's just going to go away.
There is plenty of destructive influence in the industry left for big third parties to wield. They're not going to give up on their business models until they're dragged into the real future kicking and screaming - just like the record industry.
We'll likely see most of these within the next couple of years (holiday 2014). I'm not worried about it, and I don't think anyone else should be either. The game industry types are creatives, and with the focus moving away from publishers, I think even if the accounting suits insist on nothing-but-sequels, the actual people making the games will break away and do their own thing because now they can.
Heavenly Sword? Neat for its time but now no one cares. Untold Legends? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Forgotten twice from PSP to PS3. 360 had... Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo (or a Gamecube game on Xbox 360).
The only reason to even be optimistic about PS4 is the same reason as Wii U- a friendlier environment for indies, but if Sony thinks indies are going to pledge exclusives after seeing Sony allow thangamecompany to go into debt during their exclusivity deal with The Journey, they can think again. There's no incentive to be exclusive. I don't think their current approach is any healthier than how Nintendo or MS have handled it on Wii and 360.
I'm cynical toward the industry because there's good reason to be. This industry is still young, but its getting to the point where it needs to have its spirit broken. There's just so much unregulated bullshit that's allowed to go out its practically a mirror image of the music industry 15 years ago. I'm hoping that Kickstarters and a greater environment for indies is the swift kick in the ass big publishers need - but the destruction of the F2P model at the hands of EA, UbiSoft and Square-Enix shows me they can still worm their way into anything and twist it to suit their purposes.
Now because that worked so well for them, you're seeing microtransactions become a part of every future EA game. Just like co-op or multiplayer are forced into every other game whether its needed or not. Online-only games where you're never alone and must play with others is a big, wet dream for a lot of big publishers now.
Shortsighted? Totally. But the fuckers at Crytek are already salavating over the idea of twisting the structure of a game like Dark Souls to their own ends to eradicate offline single-player. The fact that only 30% of consoles are even constantly connected to the internet is not a thought in their heads, much less the disparity in the quality of online connections - as evidenced by Sony themselves, who are building an entire business strategy around something there's no real market for in Gaikai. Sure, OnLive is around, but not without great sacrifice.
It boggles my mind that Skyrim can sell like six million and we have CEOs that act like its a fad that's just going to go away.
There is plenty of destructive influence in the industry left for big third parties to wield. They're not going to give up on their business models until they're dragged into the real future kicking and screaming - just like the record industry.
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