14 DAY TRIAL // One of the leaders of video game publisher Activision believes that the next generation of home consoles will have to compete directly with the next generation of mobiles when it comes to mainstream titles.
Greg Canessa, vice president of mobile development at Activision, says, “The CPU and GPU capabilities of mobile devices will reach Xbox 360 levels of graphical fidelity and processing power within the next generation. Activision will be creating a mix of casual and immersive gaming experiences on mobile, but as I say smartphones are more and more allowing for us to create those kinds of experiences.”
Moreover, he thinks that the same kind of video games Activision now publishes on home consoles and on the PC, including the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and something like The Amazing Spider-Man, will soon be launched on mobile devices as well.
Canessa adds, “Mobile is an emerging business for the company and it’s something we’re taking very seriously. We are taking a thoughtful approach to it. Console and PC are still the major focus, but we feel that mobile is an important segment for our brands going forward.”
Activision will try to move into the mobile market on its own and has no plans to purchase another company in order to acquire know how or a piece of the market.
I talked to Nvidia during the recent Gamescom 2012 trade event and they have big plans for the next generation of Tegra chips and their ability to power complex gaming devices like tablets that can connect to HD television sets.
Of course, much depends on what Microsoft and Sony have planned for the next generation of home based consoles and neither of the companies is willing to talk about the features they plan to include or about a launch window.