14 DAY TRIAL // A current Zynga leader who also has experience working with major publishers and hardware developers believes that the cause for the on-going decline of the traditional video game industry can be found in the inability of major companies to adapt to the major changes in the market, from the rise of mobiles to the introduction of the free-to-play model.
John Schappert, who is at the moment the chief operating officer at Zynga, has told MCV that, “Traditional gaming is under a little bit of pressure. If those businesses are not ready and want to live in the traditional world, they can.
“It’s just there’s only going to be a few big games a year. If you’re one of those games, more power to you. If you’re not, it’s going to be tough.”
The executive, who was formerly in charge of operations at both Electronic Arts and the Xbox division at Microsoft, added, “Big console games take years to make. They need massive budgets and you have to hope the bet you started three years ago pays out. If it doesn’t, it’s a game changer for you. And not in a good way. Is there still a market for it? Absolutely.”
Schappert says that the use of controller, the way interfaces are built and the price point of the gaming consoles are still major obstacles for the more casual player.
The problems with the overall economy also mean that gamers spend less on video games and tend to play them for a longer period in order to extract all they can from it.
Zynga’s current success was based on a segment of players who are looking for gaming experiences that can be played quickly and without having to learn complex mechanics.
Zynga has also capitalized on the increase in microtransactions and the rise of the social platform Facebook, on which most of its titles are played.