Okay maybe not a crash but perhaps a depression or recession within the industry?
In 1983, the video game industry suffered a huge crash that many thought it would never recover from (until the NES was released which saved the industry). This was namely due to way too many consoles and too many games that didn't go through any sort of quality control.
Of course we don't have a problem with the amount of consoles but I do think we have a problem with the amount of games. This past fall was a good example. It felt like a lot of games were being released that many wanted but of course we can't afford all of those. Luckily it's not a problem with quality anymore as it seems a lot of games released now are at least tested and are at least decent.
But now we also have to deal with costs of the games. $60 is a lot to pay for videogame (not to mention DLC pricing and the new pay for online or rumors of systems not allowing used games anymore). Companies spend millions upon millions on a single game so the little guys don't get much recognition anymore except on downloaded games and mobile phones and tablets and I'll get to those later. The increasing costs to develop games means that companies are less likely to try anything new as it may be deemed to much of a "financial risk" so all we'll be seeing from here on out are sequels, sequels, and more sequels! There is no real room for innovation anymore in the console industry. A company that tries something new that doesn't catch on could spell disaster for that studio and end up closing its doors, OFF OF ONE GAME. Take L.A. Noire as an example for that one. It got great reviews from critics and while it didn't sell terribly, it didn't sell well enough to save the studio that made it and it went out of business.
Then we have mobile gaming. This is the one that I think a lot of analysts are saying could really hurt the console industry but talk to a gamer and they say they're not worried. I'm a gamer and I'm worried about them. They're cheaper to develop for, seem to give developers more freedom, their graphics are rapidly getting better and also cheaper for the consumer. Handhelds such as 3DS and PSP Vita are definitely, and obviously, the first ones affected by this. The 3DS took a long time to pick up steam but is now doing much better but the Vita is off to a much rockier start in Japan. These systems cost as much as an iPhone or a Droid and can't even make phone calls but you can still get some of the same games but the systems do have exclusives but I fear are only enough to attract hardcore gamers! And that's considering the systems seem to be slashing their prices so soon after their releases just so they can move systems! I owned a 3DS for 4 months but after I bought my first iPhone, I was putting a hell of a lot more time into that than the 3DS so I ended up selling it. Then there's the pricing for the games as mentioned before, Resident Evil Revelations was almost $50 (knocked down $10 at the last minute before release), compare that a price range of mobile games at Free - $15 is the average. Now it seems they may be biting into the console market. An executive producer from Team Ico recently left that studio in the middle of making The Last Guardian to join up with a mobile gaming studio. David Jaffe is just about to release Twisted Metal but he left his company for a mobile gaming developer!
Maybe this is the ramblings of an insane paranoid gamer but I can't help but feel the console industry is starting to become a limping dinosaur that needs some sort of major overhaul
In 1983, the video game industry suffered a huge crash that many thought it would never recover from (until the NES was released which saved the industry). This was namely due to way too many consoles and too many games that didn't go through any sort of quality control.
Of course we don't have a problem with the amount of consoles but I do think we have a problem with the amount of games. This past fall was a good example. It felt like a lot of games were being released that many wanted but of course we can't afford all of those. Luckily it's not a problem with quality anymore as it seems a lot of games released now are at least tested and are at least decent.
But now we also have to deal with costs of the games. $60 is a lot to pay for videogame (not to mention DLC pricing and the new pay for online or rumors of systems not allowing used games anymore). Companies spend millions upon millions on a single game so the little guys don't get much recognition anymore except on downloaded games and mobile phones and tablets and I'll get to those later. The increasing costs to develop games means that companies are less likely to try anything new as it may be deemed to much of a "financial risk" so all we'll be seeing from here on out are sequels, sequels, and more sequels! There is no real room for innovation anymore in the console industry. A company that tries something new that doesn't catch on could spell disaster for that studio and end up closing its doors, OFF OF ONE GAME. Take L.A. Noire as an example for that one. It got great reviews from critics and while it didn't sell terribly, it didn't sell well enough to save the studio that made it and it went out of business.
Then we have mobile gaming. This is the one that I think a lot of analysts are saying could really hurt the console industry but talk to a gamer and they say they're not worried. I'm a gamer and I'm worried about them. They're cheaper to develop for, seem to give developers more freedom, their graphics are rapidly getting better and also cheaper for the consumer. Handhelds such as 3DS and PSP Vita are definitely, and obviously, the first ones affected by this. The 3DS took a long time to pick up steam but is now doing much better but the Vita is off to a much rockier start in Japan. These systems cost as much as an iPhone or a Droid and can't even make phone calls but you can still get some of the same games but the systems do have exclusives but I fear are only enough to attract hardcore gamers! And that's considering the systems seem to be slashing their prices so soon after their releases just so they can move systems! I owned a 3DS for 4 months but after I bought my first iPhone, I was putting a hell of a lot more time into that than the 3DS so I ended up selling it. Then there's the pricing for the games as mentioned before, Resident Evil Revelations was almost $50 (knocked down $10 at the last minute before release), compare that a price range of mobile games at Free - $15 is the average. Now it seems they may be biting into the console market. An executive producer from Team Ico recently left that studio in the middle of making The Last Guardian to join up with a mobile gaming studio. David Jaffe is just about to release Twisted Metal but he left his company for a mobile gaming developer!
Maybe this is the ramblings of an insane paranoid gamer but I can't help but feel the console industry is starting to become a limping dinosaur that needs some sort of major overhaul
