This Week In The Business: ‘We’re Not Trying To Compete’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week…

QUOTE | “Superior.” – Xbox CFO Dennis Durkin contends that Microsoft’s first-party games this console cycle have been better in quality and sales than the first-party efforts of Nintendo and Sony.

STAT | 40% – The percentage of the games industry that consoles now comprise, according to EA CEO John Riccitiello, who said it used to be 80 per cent back in 2000.

QUOTE | “Abandoned innovation.” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick actually admits that his company failed to really innovate as the Guitar Hero franchise dragged on.

QUOTE | “Great investment.” – Seemingly open to the idea of acquisition, Take-Two COO Karl Slatoff talks about the publisher’s games portfolio making them an attractive investment for another company.

QUOTE | “Slick platform.” – Insomniac Games boss Ted Price weighs in on Sony’s new PlayStation Vita, noting that its graphical horsepower and affordable price point make it a “great proposition for gamers.”

STAT | 1 billion – The number of new fans that Angry Birds maker Rovio aims to attract as the company takes an aggressive approach towards the Chinese market.

QUOTE | “Sweet spot.” – Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter believes $US249 would be the perfect price for Nintendo’s Wii U, which will most likely be competing against cheaper Xbox 360s and PS3s when it launches.

STAT | 13.7 million units – The number of Xbox 360s Microsoft shipped during its just ended fiscal year, as the Xbox division saw revenue grow 45 per cent.

QUOTE | “Still a pain in the ass.” – Even five years after launch, some developers are coming to grips with the PS3’s development architecture, as evidenced by this quote from Darksiders II director Marvin Donald.

QUOTE | “People will stop going.” – EA Sports VP Andrew Wilson believes that the end of retail isn’t that far off and people will no longer want to visit a GAME or GameStop location to purchase titles.

QUOTE | “Relic of the 20th century.” – Former Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison believes the idea of “crunch” on a game project will go away as games evolve from boxed products into services.

Top photo: Shutterstock


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