TMC
2012-04-02 22:23:48 UTC
http://www.gamingtruth.com/2012/03/31/are-we-heading-towards-another-video-game-crash/
by Shawn Long, Contributor
Things are changing in the video game industry, whether we like it or
not. However, not since the North American video game crash of 1983
has the industry changed so much in a short bit of time. History is
important, but only if you learn from your mistakes. Unfathomably, it
doesn’t seem that the industry has learned from that.
SEGA has recently announced its restructure plan and massive losses,
and now SEGA of America has been for the most part wiped out. This
isn’t a small indie company, this is freaking SEGA. You know, the
developers of Virtua Fighter, Sonic the Hedgehog, House of the Dead,
along with countless other franchises. SEGA used to be one of the
biggest console companies in the industry, and now its being reduced
to rubble. It’s sickening to me, because SEGA has always stood out to
me as a developer, publisher and console maker. The company has taken
risks, and now it seems like its catching up to them. SEGA dying is
just going to lead to less companies taking risks and trying new
things, which is a shame.
SEGA isn’t the only company hanging on by a thread. THQ has been
rumored lately as having the same fate of SEGA, reporting massive
losses and cancelled projects. This isn’t another small company, this
is THQ. The publishers of the UFC and WWE game franchises, games that
constantly sell over $1 million each year. Ever heard of a game called
SOCOM? Of course you have. Did you know that the studio that makes the
SOCOM series just got shut down? Yeah, I’m shocked too. SOCOM was one
of the biggest franchises on the PS2, and now Zipper Interactive, the
company that was making them, is no more. Why is all this happening?
There is a number of reasons that could be leading to all the these
recent happenings. Some are more possible then others in my opinion,
but I think they should be mentioned anyways. A lot of people like to
point to tablets and smart phones taking up a portion of the gaming
market. I can understand that, but in no way do I think that a tablet
will ever replace a handheld or a console for two simple reasons:
Reason one is that a tablet and a phone lacks a clear and concise
control scheme and doesn’t offer a traditional controller. Reason two
is no matter what games come out for the devices, they will never have
the AAA first-party titles that a gaming device needs to stand out
from the crowd.
Developmental costs is another reason that is thrown out a lot, and I
think is a valid point. Current consoles cost a good bit to develop
for, because of the technology involved. Piracy is running rampant and
companies are losing money. While I understand that point, I can’t
help but feel that developers should have a base idea of what their
game is going to sell, and should use their assets more wisely. If you
are making a niche game, don’t throw $70 million into it to have an
awesome graphics engine, then complain when you don’t sell a ton of
copies.
The main reason I think all of this is happening is simple: Greed. The
gaming industry has adopted a cut-throat business model, with your
cookie cutter games being the ones of choice. Companies that make a
profit aren’t satisfied; they want more profit. I understand the basic
business model, but there has to be a point where you say enough is
enough. Look at the rumors for the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
The most popular thing being talked about is not being able to play
used games on the system. Are you kidding me? That is the stupidest
thing I have heard in my 20 plus years of gaming. So, I won’t be able
to buy games from eBay or GameStop, I will have to buy a new copy to
play it on my system? Well, what if I want a game that is four years
old and isn’t being sold in most stores anymore, what do I do then?
Exactly. It’s not a well thought out business model, and will fail
miserably if implemented.
Final Truth:
The combination of greed, piracy, rising developmental costs, and
companies being afraid of breaking from the norm is leading us down a
very scary path. We may be heading towards another video game crash,
but we may not. It may just end up changing the way games are
developed, and who is making the said games. Regaurdless, something is
changing in the gaming industry, and I think the next three years are
going to be very interesting, in all the wrong ways. Expect to see
your favorite companies going out of business, or changing their
business model. It’s a sad state of affairs, but I don’t see the light
at the end of the tunnel…yet.
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=1
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=2
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=3
by Shawn Long, Contributor
Things are changing in the video game industry, whether we like it or
not. However, not since the North American video game crash of 1983
has the industry changed so much in a short bit of time. History is
important, but only if you learn from your mistakes. Unfathomably, it
doesn’t seem that the industry has learned from that.
SEGA has recently announced its restructure plan and massive losses,
and now SEGA of America has been for the most part wiped out. This
isn’t a small indie company, this is freaking SEGA. You know, the
developers of Virtua Fighter, Sonic the Hedgehog, House of the Dead,
along with countless other franchises. SEGA used to be one of the
biggest console companies in the industry, and now its being reduced
to rubble. It’s sickening to me, because SEGA has always stood out to
me as a developer, publisher and console maker. The company has taken
risks, and now it seems like its catching up to them. SEGA dying is
just going to lead to less companies taking risks and trying new
things, which is a shame.
SEGA isn’t the only company hanging on by a thread. THQ has been
rumored lately as having the same fate of SEGA, reporting massive
losses and cancelled projects. This isn’t another small company, this
is THQ. The publishers of the UFC and WWE game franchises, games that
constantly sell over $1 million each year. Ever heard of a game called
SOCOM? Of course you have. Did you know that the studio that makes the
SOCOM series just got shut down? Yeah, I’m shocked too. SOCOM was one
of the biggest franchises on the PS2, and now Zipper Interactive, the
company that was making them, is no more. Why is all this happening?
There is a number of reasons that could be leading to all the these
recent happenings. Some are more possible then others in my opinion,
but I think they should be mentioned anyways. A lot of people like to
point to tablets and smart phones taking up a portion of the gaming
market. I can understand that, but in no way do I think that a tablet
will ever replace a handheld or a console for two simple reasons:
Reason one is that a tablet and a phone lacks a clear and concise
control scheme and doesn’t offer a traditional controller. Reason two
is no matter what games come out for the devices, they will never have
the AAA first-party titles that a gaming device needs to stand out
from the crowd.
Developmental costs is another reason that is thrown out a lot, and I
think is a valid point. Current consoles cost a good bit to develop
for, because of the technology involved. Piracy is running rampant and
companies are losing money. While I understand that point, I can’t
help but feel that developers should have a base idea of what their
game is going to sell, and should use their assets more wisely. If you
are making a niche game, don’t throw $70 million into it to have an
awesome graphics engine, then complain when you don’t sell a ton of
copies.
The main reason I think all of this is happening is simple: Greed. The
gaming industry has adopted a cut-throat business model, with your
cookie cutter games being the ones of choice. Companies that make a
profit aren’t satisfied; they want more profit. I understand the basic
business model, but there has to be a point where you say enough is
enough. Look at the rumors for the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
The most popular thing being talked about is not being able to play
used games on the system. Are you kidding me? That is the stupidest
thing I have heard in my 20 plus years of gaming. So, I won’t be able
to buy games from eBay or GameStop, I will have to buy a new copy to
play it on my system? Well, what if I want a game that is four years
old and isn’t being sold in most stores anymore, what do I do then?
Exactly. It’s not a well thought out business model, and will fail
miserably if implemented.
Final Truth:
The combination of greed, piracy, rising developmental costs, and
companies being afraid of breaking from the norm is leading us down a
very scary path. We may be heading towards another video game crash,
but we may not. It may just end up changing the way games are
developed, and who is making the said games. Regaurdless, something is
changing in the gaming industry, and I think the next three years are
going to be very interesting, in all the wrong ways. Expect to see
your favorite companies going out of business, or changing their
business model. It’s a sad state of affairs, but I don’t see the light
at the end of the tunnel…yet.
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=1
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=2
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=421200&page=3