Speaking at the GDC’s Luminaries Lunch in San Francisco the Blizz man dropped the bomb his team has been chatting with Microsoft about Xbox.
Pardo didn’t spill anything more, but Disney’s Warren Spector warns he is getting the impression these guys are ”focusing on owning the living room” at the expense of videogames.
”There are so many games like we make at Blizzard that we don’t take to consoles because they don’t support the input device and you end up with crappy ports. That’s why RTS games never do well on consoles,” Pardo said.
”If I was them, I’d be sitting around trying to figure out what’s a cool input device that supports all types of new kinds of games.” The MMO and RTS have suffered on the console as many developers are unable to overcome the interface barrier.
”I get the impression they’re focusing on owning the living room,” said Junction Point Studios boss, Warren Spector. ”One device that lets you watch movies, television and play games and music and all that stuff.”
”They’re so focused on that that I’m not even sure they’re thinking about the games that are going to come out. Which is kind of crazy,” he added.
Microsoft has adamantly claimed there’s plenty of life left in the Xbox 360, and Sony expect their PS3 to stand for about ten years. Is Warren right to worry, are the platform owners in danger of becoming Jack of all trades, master of none in their pursuit of the living room?
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
