wraggster
March 31st, 2011, 01:26
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/02/angrybirds3dsblwmk.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/rovios-vesterbacka-defends-mobile-games-calls-out-nintendos/)
"A lot of people in the games industry, they think the 'real' games are on consoles. You're only a 'real' games company if you do a big budget game. But we don't have that inferiority complex," Rovio head Peter Vesterbacka told MCV (http://www.mcvuk.com/features/903/The-success-of-Angry-Birds) in a recent interview. Vesterbacka was defending against Nintendo's latest criticisms (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/reggie-nintendo-not-interested-in-the-garage-developer-still/) of the mobile market -- both Nintendo of Japan head Satoru Iwata (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/nintendo-gdc-keynote/) and Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/28/reggie-fils-aime-on-the-competition-and-what-it-means-to-be-a-g/) have argued that low-priced smartphone apps are degrading the value of games.
"If I was trying to sell a $49 piece of plastic to people then yes, I'd be worried too," Vesterbacka added, with a tinge of vitriol, alluding to the standard retail price of a Wii game disc. "But I think it's a good sign that people are concerned -- because from my point of view we're doing something right." Rovio's Angry Birds and its spin-offs are just a $1 each for iPhone and are offered as free, ad-supported apps on the Android Market.
Still, the company has plans for more console development (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/angry-birds-confirmed-as-coming-to-xbla-psn-wiiware-before-a-s/), having already released Angry Birds as a PlayStation Mini, with additional console ports in the pipeline -- even Nintendo's 3DS is getting an Angry Birds port (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/05/angry-birds-also-flying-to-3ds/). "Games consoles for us are just like launching on a new smartphone platform," Vesterbacka said nonchalantly. After all, he's probably more concerned with the movie tie-in (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/28/angry-birds-rio-movie-tie-in-game-revealed-coming-in-march/), the planned US IPO (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/22/counting-angry-birds-before-they-hatch-dev-talks-us-ipo-analys/), and, uh, having an Angry Bird etched into the Moon.
Okay, that last one probably isn't happening. Yet.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/rovios-vesterbacka-defends-mobile-games-calls-out-nintendos/
"A lot of people in the games industry, they think the 'real' games are on consoles. You're only a 'real' games company if you do a big budget game. But we don't have that inferiority complex," Rovio head Peter Vesterbacka told MCV (http://www.mcvuk.com/features/903/The-success-of-Angry-Birds) in a recent interview. Vesterbacka was defending against Nintendo's latest criticisms (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/reggie-nintendo-not-interested-in-the-garage-developer-still/) of the mobile market -- both Nintendo of Japan head Satoru Iwata (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/nintendo-gdc-keynote/) and Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/28/reggie-fils-aime-on-the-competition-and-what-it-means-to-be-a-g/) have argued that low-priced smartphone apps are degrading the value of games.
"If I was trying to sell a $49 piece of plastic to people then yes, I'd be worried too," Vesterbacka added, with a tinge of vitriol, alluding to the standard retail price of a Wii game disc. "But I think it's a good sign that people are concerned -- because from my point of view we're doing something right." Rovio's Angry Birds and its spin-offs are just a $1 each for iPhone and are offered as free, ad-supported apps on the Android Market.
Still, the company has plans for more console development (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/angry-birds-confirmed-as-coming-to-xbla-psn-wiiware-before-a-s/), having already released Angry Birds as a PlayStation Mini, with additional console ports in the pipeline -- even Nintendo's 3DS is getting an Angry Birds port (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/05/angry-birds-also-flying-to-3ds/). "Games consoles for us are just like launching on a new smartphone platform," Vesterbacka said nonchalantly. After all, he's probably more concerned with the movie tie-in (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/28/angry-birds-rio-movie-tie-in-game-revealed-coming-in-march/), the planned US IPO (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/22/counting-angry-birds-before-they-hatch-dev-talks-us-ipo-analys/), and, uh, having an Angry Bird etched into the Moon.
Okay, that last one probably isn't happening. Yet.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/rovios-vesterbacka-defends-mobile-games-calls-out-nintendos/