With the next generation of video game consoles fast approaching, Anthony Stokes has some suggestions as to how the industry can drag itself out of a slump…
With all of the recent talk about Xbox One and PlayStation 4, my initial reaction was “really, already?”. I didn’t expect another next generation console for a few more years. However, there were a few red flags. There’s been a noticeable decrease in significance of non-AAA games. Another incident that stuck out was the Tomb Raider reboot being hailed as such a disappointment that the president of Square Enix stepped down, even though it sold 3.4 million copies in its first month. Then it hit me.
The video game industry is in a big slump. Much like the movie industry, the business model is broken. There’s no middle class so to speak. It’s either small independent games or big AAA titles, and it’s starting to hurt the consumer. It’s the reason next generation consoles are being pushed into the market with next-to-no demand. Microsoft has come under fire for trying to kill used games with Sony no doubt cheerfully rubbing their hands together before their rival back-tracked on its pre-owned policy. So how can the industry drag itself out of this slump?
The most obvious solution for solving this used game dilemma is to offer the game on the online market a week before the physical release. Not only that, but give a small discount which publishers can earn back through saving on packaging and cutting out the middle man. This will entice players to buy online and gets around the whole used game market beautifully without ending it in a tyrannical way. There should always be a give and take between two parties.
Another way to increase revenue would is to focus on promoting smaller indie games. Telltale’s The Walking Dead game was amazing (better than show if you ask me), sold like crazy and won game of the year. As did Journey for the PlayStation Network. If you make good games people will play them. I’ll purchase several indie games before I buy a AAA title, and I can’t be the only one.
The Nintendo Wii struck lightning in a bottle by somehow becoming the console for family entertainment and casual gamers and sold a ridiculous amount of units. Sony and Microsoft have since taken notice and have tried to emulate the Wii by making motion controllers and aiming to be more family user friendly. I hate to be that guy, but what about the games? It’s nice to have a system that I can play Blu-rays on but really there’s so many options that the next gen consoles might be spreading themselves thin. The cool thing about Nintendo products is that when you get them there’s all kind of surprises and colorful things you can do with them. Now when you advertise that it takes away the magic. If my friend told me I can watch TV on my Xbox and switch to a game instantly I’d be blown away. Some weird guy who works for Microsoft says it and it sounds desperate. Focus on the games and let word of mouth do some of the work.
Sony and Microsoft are forgetting to cater to the people who made them the companies that they are. The last thing you should want as a company is have your core fans upset with you. Instead of being greedy, take an assessment of your business plan and see if it’s as effective as you first thought. It’s very rare that a great product in entertainment goes unnoticed. If you make them gamers will buy. And making it easier for them to buy will only lead to good things…
Anthony Stokes is a blogger and independent filmmaker.
Originally published July 26, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
