I recently subscribed to USgamer.net's podcast, and in episode 7 this week, there was some really smart talk by the crew regarding the current state of triple-A gaming and consoles by regular members: Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, Bob Mackey, and Jaz Rignall. It feels almost like a 1UP podcast again.
The main thing that interested me was their comments on how the biggest studios are focusing on fewer games and making them better, and mid tier studios are downsizing to make smaller games for mobile devices, or distribution through Steam, or just going out of business.
It's interesting to see too, that a lot of the biggest games are being designed to last longer, which means making everything more like an MMO: with endless replayability, multiplayer components, and endless new content to buy. I, personally, don't want to play one game for a whole year. I've already pretty much burned out on Diablo III after 130 hours. There's more to do, but I need some variety.
And what about mobile? It seems moble devices like phones and tablets have captured the mainstream and pure gaming systems are more and more forced to serve niche audiences. Which is ok, I guess. I'll always favor a true gaming system over something that does everything. I just hope Sony and Nintnedo can still keep their handheld businesses alive in this smart phone world we live in now.
There was also talk about the move to steaming services and that we might get only one more console generation before everything goes to a streaming subscription model. When this happens, I may be permanently retro. I just like physical media to buy. It's part of the hobby I really like.
Anyway, listen to their podcast. It's pretty neat.
Happy algorithms pixlbits!
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