14 DAY TRIAL // Fredrik Wester, the leader of video game publisher and developer Paradox Interactive, has clarified a set of comments he has made about the future of home gaming consoles, insisting again that streaming and digital distribution are revolutionary technologies that will change the future for both consoles and the PC.
The CEO of Paradox stated, “First of all, this was not to be seen as a declaration of war against consoles. If I wanted that war I would focus on CPU power on consoles compared to the PC, and being an avid console gamer myself (mostly Xbox, but also Wii, PS3 and DS), I think I have a pretty good feeling about the strengths and weaknesses among both PCs and consoles.”
He added, “Nor do I think Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft will disappear from the gaming market; quite the opposite. They are now, and will be for many years, a driving force in our market; however, the way they operate will probably evolve into a somewhat different role.”
The executive believes that the companies that are now creating actual complex hardware and then delivering it to players might in the future focus on creating smaller packages that are integrated in television sets and offer a wider feature set.
Streaming will be used to deliver content to these hubs, although now there are some limitations linked to the Internet infrastructure needed for such services.
The CEO has again talked about the importance that digital distribution plays for Paradox Interactive, saying that it accounted for just 1.5 percent of the revenue for the company in 2006 and the number has quickly risen to more than 95% in 2011.
At the moment Paradox Interactive is putting the finishing touches on Crusader Kings II, which might just be its most ambitious release yet, and also working on a host of other projects, including the newly announced A Game of Dwarves and Napleon’s Campaigns II.