Interesting Changes Ahead

E3 is winding down. The conferences are done, and with them, the big reveals. As the dust slowly begins to settle after the deluge of announcements, the industry finds itself in a very different place than last generation. This place, where lines once blurred within a blue ocean philosophy, is now clearly defined by each brand’s strengths … and where exclusivity is secondary to policy.

First up is Microsoft. Many feel it has been kicked into the dirt with Sony’s reveal, and honestly, it is easy to assume the Xbox One is in a precarious spot. Despite a strong showing of games, its policies continue to revile many of its once ardent fans. Personally, I buy my games (the few I can afford) new, and as a little research shows, most used games are only a few dollars cheaper than buying new. I like thinking an extra $5 expense for me gets $50 to a developer who wouldn’t see a dime if I bought it used. Again though, this is my personal choice, and I can understand why many wouldn’t want this method becoming mandatory.

I also could stomach the 24 hour check-in, even with my poor internet. I deal with similar annoyances on Steam already. Although, I am concerned if there are contingencies in place to allow games to still be played if and when their authentication servers are permanently shut down and there is a new system on the block. Maybe the cloud can transfer my games to the new system, but I really don’t want to have a $499 paperweight either. Still, these issues are relatively small for the present.

However, given the revelations of Microsoft’s involvements with PRISM and the Skype debacle, I cannot accept having a mandatorily connected (and scarily perceptive) Kinect in my living room. Yes, Microsoft claims it can be turned off (but still must be plugged in) and only activates when ‘Xbox On’ is muttered, but that is derived from their current policy. They explicitly stated after this information that they reserve the right to change said policy at any time. To summarize, the Kinect requires a “switch” to activate now, but Microsoft has the legal right to control that switch should they choose to.

If and when the majority of their games eventually wind up on PC, it is fairly easy to bypass the system entirely.

However, Microsoft has already stated I am not their target audience. They are tailored for the modern and upcoming world of all in one connectedness. They are focused on the people who thrive on all night Xbox Live frag-fests. They are after the 12 year old COD fanatic who has grown up in a world where their lives are supposed to be documented on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. For them, they see no problem because they get exclusive (timed or otherwise) content for the only franchise they actually play. Microsoft is also after the college group who wants to have the coolest new gadgets. What is privacy to them when they wake up every weekend hung-over and naked in a pile of their own vomit?

Microsoft is focused on appealing to the West’s technological tastes and a society who is unaware or unconcerned about a rapidly shrinking personal space. So regardless of how many gamers shun the system, the mainstream and Xbox loyalists will keep the console going strong. That’s awesome, I really hope a lot of people enjoy the console and Microsoft continues to make a profit. I just won’t be a part of it for ethical reasons, and I will admit, it’s going to hurt passing over some of the potential games that don’t go multiplatform.

Sony’s move to position itself as the direct opposite of the Xbox One made up for an average showing. Deciding to focus on courting the multitude of gamers left out in the cold, Sony romanced the audience by appearing as the gamers’ salvation. It described the PS4 as the indie platform of choice, boasted the greatest consumer freedoms, and then debuted teasers for two of the three most demanded PlayStation titles over the past half a decade. Honestly, the Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer wasn’t that impressive and could have been thrown together in a week, but it struck everyone where it needed to … in the heart.

People believe Sony listens and cares.

The problem for them now is taking the good faith momentum from this conference and continuing to run with it. Sony has to hammer out quality games with a lot of breadth from here on out, which currently, they haven’t showed they’re prepared for. As demonstrated with The Last Guardian, ‘in development’ does little more than tease consumers, and placing itself as the antithesis to the mainstream crowd means there needs to be a lot of variety to maintain their recently bolstered ranks. The difficulty is multiplied by the issue of rocketing development costs. We will have far fewer exclusives this generation simply because creating these beautiful worlds takes a lot more money now. If developers can’t block used games, piracy, or raise prices, their only other option is to distribute their games to as many platforms as they inexpensively can. This can either harm or benefit Sony. They can’t draw people in as the only console with Kingdom Hearts 3 and FFXV, but they can shape policy that makes gamers feel like there is more freedom to enjoy those games. If they can pull off being the console for the ‘other’ gamers, then they will be highly successful.

Nintendo finally held a conference (or Direct) that hinted at there being a reason to buy a WiiU. It appears to be the first real effort the company has made since the 2nd year of the Wii. Its fundamental problem though is how people continue to perceive the company. The media asks where are the games, where are the 3rd party developers? A little history, Nintendo courted 3rd parties generously on the 3DS and WiiU. The result was year old ports, abandonment, and an empty 2013. Nintendo intentionally left their personal WiiU 2013 lineup sparse so 3rd parties wouldn’t have to compete with Nintendo titles. Instead of putting their money where their mouth is, these publishers did a 180 and now want 1st party games to drive unit sales before jumping on board. After listening and reading many snide developer and publisher comments, the fact is apparent that Nintendo will never get 3rd party support because of one excuse or another. Tech is the current primary reasoning, which would make sense … if they weren’t still developing multiplatform titles for the 360 and PS3.

Frankly, the only way support will arrive is if Nintendo actively commissions a developer’s services like they did with Platinum Games and Bayonneta 2.

Now, Nintendo is never going anywhere. They make enough money on the diehards, the handhelds, and the tried and true franchises they will never be forced to stop developing consoles. Even as the current youth snicker at any games that are not an FPS with hyper-realistic graphics and many bemoan the continual rehashing, there is another younger group that is one Wiimote or Mario game away from being hooked on vibrant worlds and polished gameplay that stay just fresh enough they’ll keep buying them. Even with the surge of the mobile market, there is always a place for a Gameboy or DS.

However, Nintendo needs to fully realize the danger of game droughts, and rushed repetitive games like Skyward Sword and Mario Galaxy 2. They need to be cautious about dumbing down core titles … someone should be executed if there is another Fi (Skyward Sword). Gamers tolerate the long waits because the quality always makes it worth it. They messed with that a lot in the Wii’s lifespan and burned up a lot of faith with a Wii Music mentality and lazy development. The company needs to remember there must to be more than two games a year to make the console worth buying and the games that do come out need to wow.

Since they will most likely not get support from others, Nintendo would be best suited to invest in expanding its second party studios. They need more Retro and Monolith Software like developers. They need to be able to fill the console library by themselves, and they need the flexibility to craft new IPs and make games for all of their great franchises. They definitely should nurture the few good relationships they have with other companies. It also wouldn’t hurt if they positioned themselves (marketing wise and pricewise) as a companion console to the technologically superior systems.

Overall, the conference left me feeling a little more excited for this upcoming generation. I say this regarding all the systems. This gen felt like everyone was trying to be the same thing to everyone and eat from the same pie. Every developer was trying to bludgeon their properties into a COD clone. After this E3, it seems that each console has defined itself as something different from the others, which is awesome because now we as gamers can really have clear choices for what we want. The developers (aside from Capcom) are beginning to see that eviscerating a franchise to chase after consumers who only play Call of Duty is a waste of time and resources.

Maybe, I’m reading too much into it and things will stay the same. Maybe, we’ll still have a growing number of gamers who want everything for nothing and maybe most developers will continue to chase delusional numbers instead of guaranteed payment. Maybe, we’ll still have a majority who only wants twitch based shooters with various gimmicks and prettier graphics. Or maybe, we’ll reach a point where everyone has something to appreciate and enjoy. Maybe, we can be slightly hopeful for a little while.

Regardless, we’re witnessing a major shift to the industry, and while we may not like the end result, it promises to be a very interesting change.