Peter Molyneux criticises publishers for over-reliance on console cycle
The British game design legend Peter Molyneux blames the reliance of publishers on console cycle for the lack of intellectual properties (IP) in the market.
Both Sony and Microsoft are being strongly criticised for extending the life-cycle of their current-generation consoles as many analysts believe that the high-end consoles are long overdue.
There is hardly any doubt that the existing hardware is close to the tail-end of its life and it would not be long before they are replaced with a more powerful hardware.
The publishers realise this and are therefore reluctant to invest in new IPs, choosing to instead wait for the new systems to arrive in the market.
Molyneux is not happy to see the publishers adopting this cautious attitude and criticised them for being so dependent on the life-cycle of consoles.
“Two years ago, developers were going to publishers and saying we'd like to do this [new IP], and the publishers were saying, 'It's too late in the generation now.' The first time I heard that was about four years ago - it's ridiculous,” stated the 22-Cans
co-founder.
He asserted that the lack of fresh experience on offer in the market is taking its toll on the gaming industry, making its future pretty uncertain.
According to him, the entire console gaming was in danger because of this attitude as the gamers are beginning to move on to alternative platforms to satisfy their desire for a fresh experience instead of settling for the horde of sequels that are being
thrown at them.
Molyneux further went on to point out that the small technology iteration of platforms such as iPad gave it a huge advantage over consoles as the hardware improves every six months, becoming more powerful and making way for newer and better games.
He believes that if things continue to move on like this, then it would not be long before the alternative platforms become as powerful as the consoles, or maybe even better than their competitors.
“If we're not careful - and in fact this is highly probable - by the time that this generation finally comes out, which will probably be in about 14 months time, this little puppy might well be more powerful than the new consoles,” said Molyneux.
While both Sony and Microsoft seem more than happy to remain focused on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively, Nintendo is all set to move into the next-generation space with Wii U, which is scheduled to hit the North American region on November 18.
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