Retail is Dead: The Sequel-Busting Truth
- April 01, 2008 15:01 PM PST
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As console development costs and risks rise, downloadable games are the future of creativity. Here's why.
Downloadable games are on the rise. As seen through the success of Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), consoles are a viable medium to release digital games. No longer are developers held hostage to the disc or the franchise sequel. Digital games cost less to make, meaning the risk is much lower to launch creative new ideas.
The gaining popularity of the PS3's PlayStation Network (PSN) is also proving that downloadable games don't have to be short, arcade-y experiences. Titles like Everyday Shooter and PixelJunk Monsters offer impressive HD experiences that take advantage of the new generation of powerful gaming hardware.
games are like movies...a blockbuster comes out and everybody wants to have it for the first few months, and then it is forgotten about, literally."
And with WiiWare, Nintendo's upcoming downloadable games service for the Wii, console gamers have more reasons than ever to get interactive. But the process of getting a game onto one of these services isn't exactly easy, so we talked with a few industry-leading sources to get the story behind downloadable games. Are these games the eventual future? Read on to find out.
From Retail to Online
Retail disc- and cartridge-based games have dominated the console and PC gaming markets for decades. But recently, games developers are looking elsewhere to release new games. Why? New console hardware is extremely expensive to develop for. Development kits are costly, larger teams are required to make such intensive games, and the chance for retail success is relatively low. Hence, many developers are finding success in the downloadable medium on services like PSN and XBLA.
John Hight, director of product development for Sony, knows the pain of the downsides of retail. "Only a couple hundred titles are going to get any retail shelf space," says Hight, "and for a game that costs $10-$30 million to produce, and then again another $10 million to market, that is a significant investment, and you don't want to mess that up."
Jonathan Mak's Everyday Shooter on PSN proves that developers can succeed without large teams.
According to Hight, innovation gets crippled when the risk of losing money is so high. And even we games do find initial success, it's usually not long-term. "It has almost gotten to the point where retail games are like movies...a blockbuster comes out and everybody wants to have it for the first few months, and then it is forgotten about, literally," he says.
The retail drag is especially hurtful to excited young professionals looking to get into the industry. But there's hope in downloadable development. Says Hight, "People now can elect to go right out of school and start their own company. Build a game and have it released on a major console," he says, "make money, get critical acclamation and then be well on their way to their second game," Hight used the PSN game Everyday Shooter (a retro-style shooting game with levels built around acoustic guitar tracks) creator Jonathan Mak as a prime example. A one-man development team can succeed as the downloadable medium gains popularity.
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