The video game industry is at something of a crossroads. Sales of traditional consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 are sputtering, while mobile gaming is on the rise. For big companies like Sony and Microsoft, the hope is that the arrival of the Xbox 720 and PS4 will spark resurgence in the console market. But will it work? And what'll happen to publishers like EA and Activision if it doesn't?
The former head of BioWare, Greg Zeschuk, doesn't think the PS4 or Xbox 720 have much of a chance of saving the industry from the path it's on.
"Everyone's kind of holding out hope for the new consoles, but I honestly don't think they're going to be that big a deal," he said to GamesIndustry International (via Eurogamer).
"I worry a lot that unless Microsoft or Sony pull something magically out of a hat, it's pretty much the same old, same old repackaged and I don't think they're going to change the dynamic of the retail market."
"I don't see how they can — the market is what it is."
Zeschuk also replied to charges that he was partly responsible for the ousting of EA CEO John Riccitiello, since the game he was working on — Star Wars: The Old Republic — has been called a failure. He said that it's actually doing very well for a free-to-play title, and that it's just one piece of a big picture.
"The console core sales are slowing significantly — you can't get around that fact," Zeschuk said. "And the interesting thing with SWTOR, almost the only way we could have moved the needle at EA is if we were just ginormous ... it's kind of funny because it is such a giant company."
"We are in a kind of sick market for old-school gaming — the traditional retail-based gaming — and as much as EA has moved into digital, the boxed stuff is not as robust. While digital is coming up fast it's not filling in the gaps."
So are there any bright spots in the industry at this point? The much-maligned Activision was held up as a good example, though with a caveat.
"Honestly, Activision and Blizzard have been doing really well, and they've been very disciplined and focused," he said, "but how long can they continue? They've been relying on a small number of titles, but no title works forever, and obviously they will be working hard to replace the games they're working on.
"So they're probably one of the shining examples of a company that's done well by really doubling down on a very narrow amount of things, and trying some different stuff — I'm actually really impressed with Skylanders."
