Nobody working on video games can ever argue against the amount of influence and inspiration that Shigeru Miyamoto has had on the medium. From the creation of early blockbusters like Donkey Kong to trailblazing three-dimensional design ideas in Super Mario 64, his many accomplishments have helped steer game-makers for decades. But one executive at Electronic Arts says Miyamoto Is “falling down on the job” and that there’s more to be learned from the touchscreen legacy left behind by iconic Apple leader Steve Jobs.
In comments made at the D.I.C.E. Europe conference, chief creative officer Richard Hilleman acknowledged Miyamoto’s influence but said that more players are likely to be influenced by games happening on non-Nintendo devices:
“I thank Miyamoto for that… But he’s falling down on the job. And for the past five years that job has been taken over by a dead guy from Cupertino.”
Hilleman also spoke about the challenges facing the games business now:
“Customers today… are generally looking for a single fabric of play. They want their game where they want it, when they want it, and at a price they can defend to other people.”
While the seismic shift generated by smart-device gaming and the legions of cheaper, less time-intensive games is undeniable, there’s a bit of a false equivalency in comparing Miyamoto to Jobs.
[via GamesIndustry International, via GoNintendo]
Comments
13 responses to “EA Exec Says Nintendo Has Been Usurped By Apple”
Agreed. Miyamoto came up with gaming concepts and Jobs refined touch. Very much a “false equivalency”
If the DS hadn’t brought back touch gaming beforehand, it would have taken a lot longer before games came anywhere near iphones.
I’m not going to say Steve Jobs was a hack or anything, he was a genius, but he was a genius at selling new technology. Shigeru Miyamoto on the other hand is a game design genius. Where Jobs was more of an entertainer Shigeru Miyamoto is a mechanic. One makes cars you fall in love with at first sight, the other makes cars that you fall in love with the moment you turn the engine on.
Granted EA is talking business leadership here, but even then they’re not exactly two people/companies you’d compare. The way they both work ensure that their companies run differently.
I just love it when EA tells me what I want.
I know right? if they were so clued up to what we want then why the hell do they do the opposite so often.
Why are the 2 even being compared? Also mobile gaming will die soon from all the in app purchase, clone games, fake games, etc,etc
Mobile Gaming won’t die. People want to play games on their mobile devices. Some of the current business models might die, but mobile gaming will evolve past that.
i seriously doubt that will happen, that sought of stuff has been happening for a while. here is a handy fact, the most played game in the world is angry birds.
How soon? It’s expanding year on year.
Someone tell the EA Exec that Sim City has been usurped by Sim City 4
Apples to oranges… but this line caught my eye: “they want their games… at a price they can defend to other people.” Opened Origin recently?
If anything, EA had fallen down on the job. PvZ 2 is a perfect example.
The idea of in-app purchases probably excite EA a lot more than fun games.