14 DAY TRIAL // Publisher THQ sees video games built around using the unique motion tracking capabilities of Kinect from Microsoft and the PlayStation Move from Sony as a viable and cheaper alternative to bigger AAA titles, which often take up a lot of resources and do not provide expected returns.
Brian Farrell, who is the Chief Executive Officer of THQ, has told the audience at the Goldman Sachs organized Communacopia Conference in New York, that, “They are more mass-market type games. The cost of games for Kinect and Move is a fraction of what it is for the stuff we showed for you on the screen.”
He added, “They are just simpler forms of game where it’s more based on your movement and the input device; not on fantastic art and very complex animations. That’s the other reason we like those two products – the cost of development is much lower than for the other core products.”
It makes sense for a publisher to see how it can exploit the new motion tracking systems but it's crucial to accept the fact that not all gamers will be interested in the “mass market games” that THQ is envisioning.
Both Microsoft and Sony are hoping that Move and Kinect will make a big impact in their first months on sales, September and November, so that more developers and publishers will be interested in creating gaming experiences for the player base.
So far both of the devices will be supported by the manufacturers themselves with a host of more casual oriented titles that are aimed at the same crowd that is currently enjoying the Wii and Nintendo made games.
Sony has announced that Killzone 3, one of the most expected shooters of next year, will support Move alongside another revolutionary technology, 3D, and Microsoft is also courting more hardcore gamers by announcing that they will publish a new Steel Battalion game for Kinect.