What’s happened in the business of video games this past week …
QUOTE | “Xbox is the only thing that has investors excited about Microsoft, so it makes little sense to divest.” — Analyst Asif Khan, talking about other analysts’ comments that Microsoft should sell its Xbox business.
QUOTE | “We could kill this industry if we don’t get more inclusive.” — Patrick Liu, creative director at Rovio’s new Stockholm studio, talking about the attitude of some veteran developers that mobile games “are not real games”.
QUOTE | “Even as a developer now, when I say I’m working on NBA Live, people kind of snicker at that.” — NBA Live Executive producer Sean O’Brien, talking about the pressures involved in bringing this game back.
STAT | $US349 and $US399 — Prices that analyst Michael Pachter expects for the PS4 and the Xbox One, based on the estimated cost of goods; he also expects a subsidised Xbox One for $US299 and price cuts on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
QUOTE | “All the things that build a community have been actively blocked by console owners. That has to change.” — Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester, talking about how being able to update titles freely has helped PC and mobile game publishers.
QUOTE | “Below that [minimum level of quality ] you’re not a fun game and you’re not worth anybody’s time, let alone their money.” — David Reid, chief marketing officer for CCP, talking about Dust 514 and CCP’s future.
QUOTE | “The pressures of building and iterating games at a relentless pace did, in fact, create diamonds.” — Brian Kahrs, former Zynga product manager, talking about the way ex-Zynga employees benefited from their experience.
STAT | $US3.5 billion — Amount of money spent on games in Q1 of 2013 in the USA, according to NPD; this amount includes $US1.37 billion in physical software, $US559 million on used games, and $US1.49 billion on digital games (including mobile and DLC).
QUOTE | “Great design of a free-to-play game can put the monetization and the gameplay side-by-side without really requiring each other.” — David Brevik, president/COO of Gazillion Entertainment, talking about how the Marvel Heroes MMORPG will avoid crippling the game experiences.
QUOTE | “It’s disruptive technology, right? It’s fun to see what these technologies can do.” — Sega of America director of mobile business David Zemke, talking about putting Sonic games on the Ouya console.
STAT | 29 per cent — Percentage of gamers classified as “free & mobile” according to a survey of 8,831 people by NPD; this percentage jumped up from only 2 per cent last year at the same time.
QUOTE | “There’s a lot of free-to-play games where it’s more like free-to-pay games.” — Matt Nava, former Journey art director and now of Giant Squid, talking about why he’s making a free-to-play game.
This Week in the Business courtesy of GamesIndustry International.
Image by Shutterstock
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