14 DAY TRIAL // Owen Mahoney, the chief financial officer of Nexon, says that the soon to be launched home consoles will have a big impact in their first two years, but will then fade into obsolescence as more gamers focus on mobile devices and experiences.
The executive is quoted by GamesIndustry.biz as saying during the GamesBeat2013 conference that his own company considered the long-term picture and avoided developing products specifically for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
He explains, “My sense is that consoles will do a lot in the first one or two years, but we’re not thinking much about consoles.”
The Nexon leader believes that all differences between home consoles and mobile devices like tablets and smartphones will be eliminated in about two years.
He adds, “If a console is sitting on your hip, you don’t really need a device that’s attached to your TV set 100 percent of the time. When I look at my kids play, most of the time they’re playing off a laptop or a tablet in front of a dead 60-inch screen with a couple consoles attached. They’re just not interested.”
Nexon is running a number of online and free-to-play titles at the moment.
The company was initially focused on Asian markets, but has since then tried to create partnerships that would also give it a solid foothold in the United States.
Most big franchises from the likes of EA and Activision are currently also getting mobile versions, although gameplay is usually less complex.
The next generation of home consoles will be launched in November, when Sony delivers the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft releases the Xbox One.
The two devices will face tough competition from the PC, where Valve is currently developing its own SteamOS and special computers that will be able to run it.
They are expected to be delivered in 2014