Electronic Arts: Apple iPad "our fastest growing platform" for gaming

[*LTD*]

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/ea-ceo-consoles-now-only-40-of-games-industry/

Electronic Arts: Apple iPad "our fastest growing platform" for gaming

EA chief executive John Riccitiello declared Apple's iPad its fastest growing gaming platform, noting that dedicated gaming consoles have slipped from 80 percent to representing just 40 percent of the game industry.

In an interview published by IndustryGamers, Riccitiello said the traditional cycle of new generations of gaming consoles that appear every five years is "not a particularly smart way to run an industry," in contrast to the model of Apple's iOS App Store, which supports continuous development that supports EA "putting out software every 90 days."

After noting the sharply diminished share of the gaming industry that traditional gaming consoles represent, in contrast to the rapid expansion of gaming revenues connected to Apple's iPad platform, Riccitiello also downplayed the value of hardware power to drive game sales.

"I would argue that there’s more to be provided in terms of value for the consumer in micro-transactions and social experiences and driving those better in cross-platform gameplay between a console and a PC and a handheld device and a social network than there is supercharging graphics," Riccitiello said.

Last spring, Flurry Analytics reported that Apple's share of the US video game software market had grown by 500 percent.

However, as the iPad began to gain traction, game developers quickly began to report astonishing growth and support from customers, with one major developer noting its iPad launch as being "by far" the fastest selling and highest revenue generating game platform, thanks to promotion by Apple.

Since then, Apple's launch of iPad 2 resulted in a major leap in performance for games, which Epic Games' developer Tim Sweeney contrasted with conventional game consoles, describing "a 10-20x leap in performance every 7-8 years" for consoles, compared to the 9x leap Apple claimed for the iPad 2 in just one annual refresh.

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Taking a stroll around the iPad App Store, I see some quality games, and they look great. And it's only been a year. Add another iPad refresh and another year and it's pretty astounding to think of the sort of gaming territory we'll be in.

 

[maflynn]

Doesn't that feed into the mentality that the iPad is just a toy?

 

[*LTD*]

Doesn't that feed into the mentality that the iPad is just a toy?

Is your PC just a toy?

 

[RWinOR]

Doesn't that feed into the mentality that the iPad is just a toy?

Awe yes, but how does the saying go.. One mans toy is another mans tool, or is it the other way around.

 

[maflynn]

Is your PC just a toy?

If I had many games on the PC, then yes it would be but as it stands, its not a toy as I don't have games and I use it for work

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Not surprised, there hasn't really been a new console in a while. And growth from 0% to anything is near infinite - pretty hard to beat

 

[RWinOR]

If I had many games on the PC, then yes it would be but as it stands, its not a toy as I don't have games and I use it for work

But in reality, isn't it the gaming industry that pushed the PC market for better video, faster processors, more drive space, etc. Games have really helped make our PC's the powerful boxes they are today.

But like you I personally have no games on my PC.

 

[RWinOR]

Not surprised, there hasn't really been a new console in a while. And growth from 0% to anything is near infinite - pretty hard to beat

This is why I predict Apple will release an iPlay, their version of a home gaming console that is tied to the cloud, and your home network. Just to give the gaming industry a new shot in the arm.

Call me crazy, but they really seem to me into the home network, ease of use theme.

 

[maflynn]

But in reality, isn't it the gaming industry that pushed the PC market for better video, faster processors, more drive space, etc. Games have really helped make our PC's the powerful boxes they are today.

GPU certainly, CPU - that's a harder argument to justify.

Games certainly played an important role in the PC, and it appears to be the case for the iPad but I'm not sure it will have the same evolutionary drive this time around.

 

[RWinOR]

GPU certainly, CPU - that's a harder argument to justify.

Games certainly played an important role in the PC, and it appears to be the case for the iPad but I'm not sure it will have the same evolutionary drive this time around.

As I read this, I wonder... do you think the retinal display apple released was for all the games on the iPhone and iTouch? Do you think that could be the driving force for getting it to the iPad?

Just curious.

 

[maflynn]

Not sure tbh, and I hadn't thought about it.

 

[*LTD*]

In handheld news:

http://kotaku.com/5825495/nintendo-3ds-gets-sudden-massive-price-drop

Something aint quite selling as expected.

 

[Liquorpuki]

EA is also the developer most hyped up about making games for the Wii-U

And the iOS gaming model consists of moving a high volume of cheap disposable games, and exploiting the Freemium model. As opposed to high quality games that are more expensive but offer cinematic experiences. God forbid iOS becomes the future of gaming

In handheld news:

http://kotaku.com/5825495/nintendo-3ds-gets-sudden-massive-price-drop

Something aint quite selling as expected.

That's because Nintendo made a mistake by releasing a platform with a crappy launch library. They even admitted it. As must-have games come out, sales will pick up, I'm speculating around Christmas. Unlike multi-function iDevices, it's the games that make or break handhelds and consoles.

 

[Roheryn]

Doesn't that feed into the mentality that the iPad is just a toy?

Twelve years or so the biggest sneer a PC owner could deliver to a Mac owner was "There are no games for a Mac !".

Back then games ability was something to crow about. Now it's something deprecating...?

 

[roadbloc]

Twelve years or so the biggest sneer a PC owner could deliver to a Mac owner was "There are no games for a Mac !".

Back then games ability was something to crow about. Now it's something deprecating...?

Entirely depends on your priorities.

 

[maflynn]

Twelve years or so the biggest sneer a PC owner could deliver to a Mac owner was "There are no games for a Mac !".

Actually the biggest sneer a PC owner could deliver was that that macs had a pathetic inventory of available software (games included). While yeah games were meager on the Mac platform. The the biggest complaint was the overall availability of software.

btw, I was a mac user 12 years ago, so I lived through the "meager" period.

 

[Roheryn]

btw, I was a mac user 12 years ago, so I lived through the "meager" period.

So was I...
Of course it didn't occur to the PC users (mainly 16-24 year old males ) who would say that to me that they were in fact reducing their PC's to "toys" - as they spent all their time tweaking them just to improve the frame rate for Doom.

 

[neiltc13]

Still waiting for a game that isn't a board game or strategy game to make me feel like I want to sit down and play games on my iPad for a prolonged period.

There are certain genres of game which will never be suited to iPad - driving, shooting, sports - and guess what? These are consistently the most popular kinds of game.

 

[*LTD*]

Still waiting for a game that isn't a board game or strategy game to make me feel like I want to sit down and play games on my iPad for a prolonged period.

There are certain genres of game which will never be suited to iPad - driving, shooting, sports - and guess what? These are consistently the most popular kinds of game.

Are you like, stuck in 2009?

Take a stroll around the iPad App Store when you have a few moments and enjoy the surprises.

(You'll actually need an iPad to do that.)

 

[neiltc13]

Are you like, stuck in 2009?

Take a stroll around the iPad App Store when you have a few moments and enjoy the surprises.

(You'll actually need an iPad to do that.)

Yep, I've got one. My favourite iPad games are:

Words With Friends HD
Sim City HD
Depict
Piczle Lines

However, my favourite genres of game are shooting and racing. Even though Real Racing 2 is a great technical achievement, it's far, far from an enjoyable game because of the awful controls. Not the developer's fault - it's the fault of the device for not providing the inputs that are required for a decent driving game experience.

 

[*LTD*]

EA is also the developer most hyped up about making games for the Wii-U

And the iOS gaming model consists of moving a high volume of cheap disposable games, and exploiting the Freemium model. As opposed to high quality games that are more expensive but offer cinematic experiences. God forbid iOS becomes the future of gaming



That's because Nintendo made a mistake by releasing a platform with a crappy launch library. They even admitted it. As must-have games come out, sales will pick up, I'm speculating around Christmas. Unlike multi-function iDevices, it's the games that make or break handhelds and consoles.

Or, we can now add Nintendo to Apple's growing list of victims. Throw in Nokia, RIM, pre-Android Motorola, Palm, and Cisco’s Flip-camera unit while we're at it.

Interesting how Nintendo's fumbles are happening during the rise of iOS.

 

[Eidorian]

Interesting how Nintendo's fumbles are happening during the rise of iOS.

Oh boy here we go.

 

[*LTD*]

Oh boy here we go.

Yeah, I'm gonna chalk it up to Apple. I'd be silly not to, given what we're seeing now, and what we've been seeing for the past few years. Nintendo and these other victims are absolutely, positively loathe to blame it on Apple. They'll use every excuse - the economy, the value of the Yen, "market reset" - all sorts of baloney, when in fact an Apple product is actually invading and hijacking their usual competitive space.

You don't blame the REAL culprit (Apple.) Why? Because that's essentially a death sentence, publicly declared.

 

[Eidorian]

Yeah, I'm gonna chalk it up to Apple.

This is tiresomely predictable on your part.

Smash Brothers and Metroid sell Nintendo's hardware for me. Those two franchises alone dictate my console hardware purchases. I am sure others have their own favorites. US$249 with little software is hard to swallow.

Though I do conduct most of my gaming via Steam and on PC, I have a soft spot for taking a trip to spend hours with my friends playing Smash Bros.: Melee in person. Not to mention the other benefits of interacting in person.

Now if we could only play Axis & Allies on something like a Surface. Still, talking about hardware is much more fun than this.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Or, we can now add Nintendo to Apple's growing list of victims. Throw in Nokia, RIM, pre-Android Motorola, Palm, and Cisco’s Flip-camera unit while we're at it.

Interesting how Nintendo's fumbles are happening during the rise of iOS.

Nah, it's interesting how iOS came up as gaming platform during a time when Nintendo and Sony hadn't pushed tech in the handheld market for over half a decade.

Interesting how while Jobs emphasizes user experience when it comes to iOS HW, OS, and closed ecosystem, the iOS gaming market replaces $40 cinematic user experiences with disposable $1 mini games and IP ripoffs.

Interesting that touch was supposed to be the next gen in game controls yet most devs still put virtual buttons on the screen. Except only two of them because that's all they can fit.

Also interesting that while Jobs pays lip service to it every dev's conference, nobody really knows what the hell the GameCenter is for.