Following the previous generation of gaming consoles, many are actively worried that the PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U won't be able to grow the video game market like their predecessors. Nintendo is already struggling, but Microsoft isn't buying the argument.
In fact, the company expects that this upcoming generation of systems led by the Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U will actually grow the video game market by an extra 30 percent.
"This generation 7 [PS3, Xbox 360, Wii] that we're in right now, it's 50 per cent bigger than generation 6 and I think double the size of generation 5. Our anticipation is that generation 8 will be at least 30 per cent bigger still," Chris Lewis, Microsoft Europe's VP of Interactive Entertainment said to Games Industry International.
The bullish prediction is no surprise considering Microsoft just revealed the Xbox One this week. After all, it would be severely out of character for a company to announce a brand new product only to downplay its chances of success. Still, considering the fierce competition coming from mobile products, the fact that Microsoft thinks it, along with the PS4 and Wii U, will continue to grow the traditional games space is good news.
Console makers have come under fire for waiting too long to release new consoles, saying that the last generation simply went on for too long. Lewis, on the other hand, disagrees, and thinks that the Xbox One and PS4 are launching at the right time.
"There is a strong trajectory there," he said. "I think people liked the length of the generation. Our partners certainly did. Retail loved the length of the generation, at least in terms of the attach and the additional services and content they can attach. Our developers like the longevity of the platform because they get better at bringing and optimising content for that platform."
Optimism aside, all three console makers will face a tough road ahead of them. Microsoft and Sony need to convince people that spending another $500 on a gaming console, complete with extra features, is something they still want to do. Nintendo, meanwhile, needs to turn around its Wii U business before it's too late.
Lewis also commented on the Xbox 360, saying that much like the PS2's continued success after the PS3 launch, he expects the 360's popularity will grow, too, even after the Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U are all on the market together.
"Xbox 360 will continue for another multiple-year time frame," he said. "We've already got meaningful marketing plans for the next 12 months for Xbox 360 and beyond. Our third-party publishers will bring more content to it, because the installed base is so high."
