Is The Computer Gaming Industry Finished?

[Atrocities]

Over the Last few years we have seen many long time PC game developers go under, be aquired, or simply close their doors because they saw no future in the market, could not sustain themselves, or simply could not aford to continue to develop their products.

In the day where consule is king, and one of the largest game publishers, Activision, dedicates 73% of its gaming resources exclusively toward consule games and only a pitance of 23% to PC games, has we begun to see the end of PC Gaming?

The spactacular failures of such staple PC games as Moo3 to mention one, in the Last year have only added fuel to the fire that now threatens to devour what is left of the once dominate PC market.

Microsoft, Activision, and many other staple game publishers and developers are all gearing up for strictly consule games have clearly shown us that we as PC games are on the short list for extinction. The list is so short that even TechTV has altered its game play magainze eXtended play to focus exclusively on consule games and even have gone so far as to rename the once PC dominate show Xplay. (To denote that is now is dedicated to consule games)

In the Last two years we have seen a significant reduction in PC game releases and games that were slated for PC release have been put on hold, pushed back, or out right cancled in favor of cnsule games.

It was discussed in a thread a while back about the possibility that SEIV could be developed for Consule play in addition to many other fine games offered by Shrapnels, and if true great, but what will that mean to us, the PC players? I suppose the sme as it did to those who used to play such games as board games. The market will always be there but not at the level it was at its peek.

Game developers Lucas Arts and ID Software, have both stated recently that they expect to phase out PC game development completely no later the then end of 2005. We all know from past experience where ID software leads, the industry will follow.

I shudder to think what it will be like having to sit in front of my old TV and play a game designed for a plasma tv, an HD system that I can ill aford, and try and play a game of SEV.

[ November 07, 2003, 12:50: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Cosmos]

Computer games will still be around, there are just some games that you can not play with a controller, like most war and strategy games.

[deccan]

Hey Atrocities, check your Calendar. It isn't April Fool's Day.

[General Woundwort]

AT may be on to some things here.

1) The main game genres that sell big nowadays (1PS, RTS, flight simulator, etc) do well on consoles, which are cheaper and also specifically built to handle the graphics for these games. Also, the transition of internet access (away from strictly PC's to cable/satellite/console as well) will eat up the PC's share of MP Online gaming as well. And a LOT of games now out are dual releases, PC and console.

2) The genres that do do better on PC's (TBS, 4X, strategic simulations) are no longer driving the market (if indeed they ever did). These games will certainly still be produced, but probably more and more by small outfits like MM and Shrapnel. Which is not a bad thing, as we all can testify...

3) These games are all starting to look alike. You can complain about mass production and degraded quality all you want (and rightly so), but let's face it, how many variations on "run around a maze and blow baddies up" are really necessary?!? When was the Last time a really groundbreaking game (like Myst) came out? These genres are reaching the limit of their capacity.

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by deccan:
Hey Atrocities, check your Calendar. It isn't April Fool's Day.

If it is I am not laughing.

Myst was a game like no other. It defined PC gaming as a genuen market and never looked back. To bad they closed their doors.

The Sims most recently have been the ticket and before them was Everquest (bla bla bla bla everquest)

Half-life came out but it was Counter-Strike that made it a success.

There have been many hits, but recently the market has declined dramatically in quality and inspiration. There are really no new games coming out, they are all formula X or sequels.

Most good PC games are being converted to consule as that is a blooming market right now. Hey why not, I mean you have to follow the money in order to stay in business right? But the flip side to that is that the PC market will become a neglected redheaded step child. And that is no april fools joke deccan.

[geoschmo]

People have been sounding the death knell for PC games for ten year Atrociites. You just had this stunning revalation today?

As long as there are still PC's there will still be PC games. They may not dominate the market like they used to. But 90% of what was sold during the hey day was trash anyway. You may have to wait a few months for the console games to be ported to the PC, instead of teh other way around like used to happen, but it will still happen. And there will always be a place for games like SE4 that frankly don't work on a console, and don't have the kind of sales to make putting it on a console feasible.

By the way, where did you get this rumor that SEIV was being developed as a console game? I am not saying it's not true, but this is the first I have heard of it, and frankly it doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion. All of the reasons SE4 is only available Online and not in retail stores are even MORE true for console games.

Edit: To remove some comments that sounded harsher then I intended. Sorry Atrocities.

Geoschmo

[ November 07, 2003, 12:14: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[Slynky]

Money rules everything. The money market for gaming these days has become kids. Kids whose parents buy them everything and let them live at home till age 20-something. They get jobs that maintain the Mustang that mommy and daddy bought for them and the rest goes into feeding the (usually) multiple game boxes connected the TV to be used for entertainment purposes when they aren't out at one of those stupid movies made for that same age (translation: "Jack ***" etc.).

Ahhh, but I digress.

IMHO (yeah, right!), there will always be someone to make games for the PC platform. After all, if EVERY company quit doing it, SOMEONE would have to wake up one day and smell the customer's coffee and think, "Hey, we could be the ONLY company making a game for the PC! No competition!" (and then the cycle would start all over again as everyone hopped on the band wagon because 90% of the businesses out there don't have an independent thougt...hence the overloaded bandwagon of stupid-*** reality TV shows!)

[tesco samoa]

i agree aswell. The industry is moving back to its old format. Small companies making games they want to make and dedicated following. I am guessing in about 10 years or so this will take off and companies will join in on the band wagon. Wash Rinse Repeat. Or we will go the way of board top games... Which is ok as well.

[primitive]

The gaming industry in general is slowly approaching maturity. Whats going to happen is the same as happens in every other industry that grows out of the boom phase. The mass marked will be dominated by a few large companies with some niche companies (like Shrapnel) providing games for the fringe markets (like us ). Expect to see an even higher number of bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions in the gaming industry over the next few years.

PC vs Console. Some types of games just plays better on one type of system. But, it�s the money who rules; if there�s a market then there will be suppliers.

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
People have been sounding the death knell for PC games for ten year Atrociites. You just had this stunning revalation today?

Make fun of the idea guy. Seriously, its not a revalation as you have described, but more of a point of fact that this sounding of the death knell of PC games is no longer a "the sky is falling" chant, but has become more of a reality.

[ November 07, 2003, 12:44: Message edited by: Atrocities ]