14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the rise of mobile gaming and the increased time linked to video games that can be played for free on the PC, the home gaming console will never disappear, according to one veteran designer.
Will Wright, who is best known for creating the very successful Sims series, told GamesIndustry International that, “I don’t think they’re doomed, I think they’re not going to become the mainstay of the market like they had been.
“Games really used to be something that were targeted to 16-year-old boys. Now we have people of all generations, genders, walks of life, playing games.”
He added, “I think there’ll probably still be dedicated game machines going forwards, sitting on a shelf next to your HDTV. I think that they’re going to be catering to a very specific kind of player, which probably isn’t that different from what they were catering to before.
“It’s just that a lot more people are now playing games, and they’re not playing it on that device.”
Will Wright believes that the biggest change linked to the video game industry is the move towards social experiences, which allow for players to get access to their titles whenever they want and to quickly link to their friends who share a game universe.
The hardcore crowd might continue to favor home console and the well-known franchises created and published by Sony and Microsoft while new companies can use the social space to create small, innovative experiences that cost less in terms of money and more in terms of time.
Neither Microsoft nor Sony has yet announced official plans to introduce a new home console, although rumor has it that they should be launched before the end of 2013.
Sources have talked about devices that no longer play used games, about better integration of motion tracking systems and the addition of tablet-like touch-enabled controllers.