Yosuke Hayashi, head of developer Team Ninja, has challenged the notion that traditional games consoles are going the way of the Dodo, and reckons they’ll be around for some time to come.
Speaking with Xbox World, Hayashi drew comparisons to the movie industry, noting people still flock to the cinemas to catch a flick despite the fact you can watch films on your mobile phone or TV.
"I don’t think consoles are going to disappear from gaming. You still have millions of people playing videogames with a controller on a box in front of the TV. Just look at Call of Duty, for example: it’s everywhere. There are millions of people playing it,” he said.
"I think people will continue to play games, and as long as the cost of development stays sustainable, and people continue to buy traditional games, then we’ll be here. If only one game sells everything, it will ruin the gaming and console industries completely.”
"I think you can compare it to movies," Hayashi continued. "People still go to the cinema after all this time. I don’t know how long cinemas have been around but it’s not like cinemas are completely gone and everyone is watching movies on their TV or smartphone.”
“Yes, you have those new mediums, but the old guy is still there – and I think it’s going to be like that with consoles. I think they will be around for quite a while.”
Many industry giants have stated their belief that the next-generation of consoles will be the last of its kind, including Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, and God of War mastermind David Jaffe.
Both Sony and Microsoft have yet to lift the cloth on their new hardware, though an announcement is expected to drop at E3 next year. Furthermore, both formats are expected to hit shelves by early 2014.
via CVG