BioWare Co-Founder: Consoles Are "The Past"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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Highest selling, from the point of view of someone who makes his living from video game sales, is indeed better. The more of the consoles are sold, the more games for that console are sold. I consider myself a dedicated gamer, but I'm not in any way insulted by what he said. He never said "consoles are the past, and anyone who owns a console is a dickhead". He's just making the point that as handheld technology becomes more and more powerful, the possibilities for gaming become greater, and that he believes that this kind of gaming will be the future of the industry. Where's the insult there?JourneyThroughHell said:
Consoles are the past?
I'm sorry, did someone forget to tell me that Nintendo died or something? Because as long as Nintendo exists, so will successful consoles. And as long as PC gaming cannot overcome its "clunky", "expensive" and "elitist" tags, consoles will always be at the head of the gaming market.
Or did Zeschuk forget that while the iPad/iPhone may be popular, statistics usually show that if you are a biological organism on planet Earth you own 2.5 DSs or some form of the DS?
I'm sorry, did someone forget to tell me that Nintendo died or something? Because as long as Nintendo exists, so will successful consoles. And as long as PC gaming cannot overcome its "clunky", "expensive" and "elitist" tags, consoles will always be at the head of the gaming market.
Or did Zeschuk forget that while the iPad/iPhone may be popular, statistics usually show that if you are a biological organism on planet Earth you own 2.5 DSs or some form of the DS?
Neither are my gaming platform of choice either. Presumably the thought is tabletPCs will get cheaper and therefore become the next smartphone-like casual gaming market? Eitherway they can do what they like on other platforms so long as decent games keep turning up for everyone else I don't care.Jaranja said:
How can the possibilities be better if all they're supposed to do is play it safe on thos consoles?SonicWaffle said:
That's the insults - kids like handhelds, we like kids, sorry, guys, but you're the past, we don't thing doing AAA for you pays off.
Alright, I don't fully blame him and I think it's a smart strategy move, but why should you make such smug, assured claims that you absolutely know will piss people off and will push the hardcore supporters that you know you have away from you?
Agreed. As long as I get my games on PC and PS3, I'm perfectly happy with them fucking around on the iUseless.Giftmacher said:Neither are my gaming platform of choice either. Presumably the thought is tabletPCs will get cheaper and therefore become the next smartphone-like casual gaming market? Eitherway they can do what they like on other platforms so long as decent games keep turning up for everyone else I don't care.Jaranja said:
Says the company that is currently making another Star Wars game and has had several blockbuster releases for consoles... Good job guys.
Bioware, I love your games and you are a great developer... But please shut the fuck up, you are making a complete fool out of yourself :/
I did not say better, I said greater. As in, as the technology grows more powerful, there will be more possibilities for game-makers. Look at how far portable technology has advanced; I'm not particularly old, but when I was a kid a mobile phone was still the size of a brick. Now it can be the size of your palm and contain games, books, have internet access, GPS and a hundred other fancy doodads. With the technology advancing the way it is, what do you think phones and handheld consoles will be like in a mere ten more years?JourneyThroughHell said:
Source, please? I don't see handheld gaming as the domain of children - several teenagers and adults of my aquaintance own a handheld machine, and many more own iPhones - and even if it were, he's not saying that from now on all BioWare games will be marketed to kids. After all, lots of kids have consoles. Loads of kids own a Wii, but he isn't claiming that the Wii is the future.JourneyThroughHell said:
I think it's pretty clear that the "AAA thing" has paid off for BioWare, in spades. They've become one of the most respected studios around, and their new games are always hotly anticipated and surrounded by hype. At no point did he say "Screw it, I don't like money anymore". All he said is that he thinks the future of gaming is portable.
Really, now. I don't think anyone is being pushed away by this. I own a console, but not a handheld one. I love my Xbox to bits. Does this statement mean I'm not going to be buying Mass Effect 3 or Dragon Age 2? Hell no! I'm drooling for those games already!JourneyThroughHell said:
In my opinion, which on this point is total guesswork, it probably never occured to him that the statement would piss anyone off. He didn't say consoles were bad, or a less valid form of video gaming. Just that he didn't see them as the future of gaming. For that to be insulting, a person's self-worth would need to be tied to their chosen gaming platform, and I don't think there are very many people like that outside of the hardcore Sony vs Xbox or PC vs Consoles fanboys.
If consoles are the past, I guess that's where I'm going to be staying. Unless, Bioware, you are talking about Star Trek-level holodeck gaming, in which case you guys have been doing a very good job of keeping that tech a secert. But who do you expect people to pay for such an item?
And the Iphone? Really? Wasn't there a article just the other day about how one company said XBL Arcade was too crowded to get noticed? Now imagine all the stuff on the Iphone...
And the Iphone? Really? Wasn't there a article just the other day about how one company said XBL Arcade was too crowded to get noticed? Now imagine all the stuff on the Iphone...
They did make the Sonic DS RPG.ProfessorLayton said:
Bioware, I love you, but please shut up. You're beginning to sound like Peter Molynuex with all of these claims.
What a load of complete bullshit. Sounds like somebody is trying to get some of that sweet Popcap and Nintendo money. I'm so sick of all these companies jumping on the next big bandwagon.
I thought that the whole point of "video games as a medium of art" was that we are not toymakers for children.
Frankly, it annoys me to no end when i get this impression of 'casual games are the future'. Seems like the phrase 'main stream' is rearing its ugly head already. I don't play games to "immerse" myself by getting off the couch, or by looking at it in 3d. I play games for excellent storytelling and gameplay. I'm not about to sacrifice those two tenants of gaming for the sake of a few simple gimmicks. I don't know if Bioware is saying this just to be avant garde, but i really don't think the console is or ever will be extinct. It's just not going to happen. Sure, there might be a wave of sales with all the women, youngsters, parents, older gamers and whatnot buying all this shovelware but at the end of the day the main revenue for games are the dedicated basement dwellers who will buy the next big RPG or FPS.
Oh, and is he actually discouraging the production of big budget triple A titles? The fuck?
"Just give them junk, they'll lap it up as much as the next big blockbuster!"
Pathetic.
I thought that the whole point of "video games as a medium of art" was that we are not toymakers for children.
Frankly, it annoys me to no end when i get this impression of 'casual games are the future'. Seems like the phrase 'main stream' is rearing its ugly head already. I don't play games to "immerse" myself by getting off the couch, or by looking at it in 3d. I play games for excellent storytelling and gameplay. I'm not about to sacrifice those two tenants of gaming for the sake of a few simple gimmicks. I don't know if Bioware is saying this just to be avant garde, but i really don't think the console is or ever will be extinct. It's just not going to happen. Sure, there might be a wave of sales with all the women, youngsters, parents, older gamers and whatnot buying all this shovelware but at the end of the day the main revenue for games are the dedicated basement dwellers who will buy the next big RPG or FPS.
Oh, and is he actually discouraging the production of big budget triple A titles? The fuck?
"Just give them junk, they'll lap it up as much as the next big blockbuster!"
Pathetic.
Yep, I have noticed this. Although it's not really exclusive to The Escapist. Most press like to bend titles to draw in more readers.Doug said:
The difference is that BioWare are trying to move games forwards with advancement, Square are just scoring easy money by rehashing the last good final fantasy games for Iphone.s69-5 said:
Because we all know how well that one sold compared to Dragon Age and Mass Effect...Soviet Heavy said:
Console gaming, happily dying since 1981?
I think he's right that AAA massive titles aren't the way to go anymore due to production costs and the need to have a massive hit to recoup your costs, but iPhone/iPad gaming? That's not exactly a huge money maker.
I think the real future is going to be a return to how things used to be done with smaller teams doing smaller releases on a more regular basis. There will still be massive scale games, but I think we'll be seeing more small scale games produced by the big companies.
I think he's right that AAA massive titles aren't the way to go anymore due to production costs and the need to have a massive hit to recoup your costs, but iPhone/iPad gaming? That's not exactly a huge money maker.
I think the real future is going to be a return to how things used to be done with smaller teams doing smaller releases on a more regular basis. There will still be massive scale games, but I think we'll be seeing more small scale games produced by the big companies.