One of the big three next-gen consoles from Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo will drop out of the console race in the coming years, according to one publishing head. Mario Wynands sparked debate on NeoGaf when he posted about Wii U, stating the console is in 'serious trouble' and next-gen will 'fail'.
NowGamer contacted Wynands, a Sidhe dev who is now the managing director of games publishing company PikPok, for an exclusive follow-up to his comments. Now,
Wynands says one of the big three consoles will drop out of the race, like Sega with the Dreamcast.
He said:
"In my opinion, the market is now unsustainable for 3 dedicated game consoles, much less the myriad of new players jumping in. Indeed, it might not be sustainable for any dedicated consoles.
"The environment is hostile enough to the traditional console that I think one or more of the big 3 will drop out completely, but I’m expecting all 3 to make losses without radical change to their business models (hence my calls for revamping of their digital offerings).
"This new generation is arriving with all the challenges of the last generation unresolved in terms of low margins on hardware, high development budgets, limited shelf space, used commercial game sales, piracy etc.
"On top of that they arrive facing increased competition for consumer attention via smartphones, tablets, and a resurgence in PC gaming. "The retail infrastructure is collapsing as revenues fall and retail chains supporting games have been shutting their doors. Consumer expectations of quality continue to rise, and there is downward pressure on pricing at the same time."
He said Microsoft and Sony face potentially 'insurmountable' challenges with Xbox 720 and PS4 and that they could be usurped by new platforms like iOS.
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