wraggster
March 28th, 2014, 19:56
The ongoing barrage of closures and redundancies at major AAA game development studios is not a true reflection of the state of the AAA business, says Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
In fact, he argues, gamers will see a thriving industry in full effect at this year's E3, which he expects will feature an "army of huge franchises" from major publishers and platform holders.
<figure style='background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font: 14px/23.79px "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; outline: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 460px; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;' class="responsive single-article__canvas single-article__canvas--full zoomhover" title="" data-media992="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_460.jpg" data-media768="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_700.jpg" data-media480="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_480.jpg" data-media="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_320.jpg">http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_460.jpg (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/viewer.php?id=313133&mode=article)</figure>In 2014 alone, Irrational Games, the studio behind the BioShock series,has effectively closed (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/450117/bioshock-dev-irrational-games-to-close/), while widespread layoffs have affected multiple major PlayStation UK (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/455495/layoffs-across-playstation-uk-studios/) studios, God of War studio Sony Santa Monica (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/451080/layoffs-hit-god-of-war-studio-sony-santa-monica/)and Thief developer Eidos Montreal (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/452217/thief-dev-eidos-montreal-confirms-27-layoffs/).
"I don't think it's a reflection of the vibrancy of the industry," Spencer told GameSpot in reaction to these recent events.
"If you look at attach rate on the consoles right now, people investing in the great new AAA IP, it's great," he argued.
"I think at this year's E3 between us and EA and Activision, Sony, and Nintendo, you're going to see another army of huge franchises coming."
It's common at present for large studios cut back its employee count following the release of a major product, sizing itself for the downtime before slowly scaling up during its next project.
This volatility is something Spencer says studios may stabilize in future. "I think the model for how studios deal with that peak and valley is still evolving," he said.
Spencer has assured fans recently that this year's Xbox E3 press briefing will be heavily focused on new game content (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/455216/microsofts-e3-press-event-to-feature-more-games-fewer-execs/).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/456369/e3-to-showcase-an-army-of-huge-franchises-says-xbox-exec/
In fact, he argues, gamers will see a thriving industry in full effect at this year's E3, which he expects will feature an "army of huge franchises" from major publishers and platform holders.
<figure style='background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font: 14px/23.79px "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; outline: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 460px; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;' class="responsive single-article__canvas single-article__canvas--full zoomhover" title="" data-media992="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_460.jpg" data-media768="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_700.jpg" data-media480="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_480.jpg" data-media="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_320.jpg">http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3131/image_313133_460.jpg (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/viewer.php?id=313133&mode=article)</figure>In 2014 alone, Irrational Games, the studio behind the BioShock series,has effectively closed (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/450117/bioshock-dev-irrational-games-to-close/), while widespread layoffs have affected multiple major PlayStation UK (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/455495/layoffs-across-playstation-uk-studios/) studios, God of War studio Sony Santa Monica (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/451080/layoffs-hit-god-of-war-studio-sony-santa-monica/)and Thief developer Eidos Montreal (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/452217/thief-dev-eidos-montreal-confirms-27-layoffs/).
"I don't think it's a reflection of the vibrancy of the industry," Spencer told GameSpot in reaction to these recent events.
"If you look at attach rate on the consoles right now, people investing in the great new AAA IP, it's great," he argued.
"I think at this year's E3 between us and EA and Activision, Sony, and Nintendo, you're going to see another army of huge franchises coming."
It's common at present for large studios cut back its employee count following the release of a major product, sizing itself for the downtime before slowly scaling up during its next project.
This volatility is something Spencer says studios may stabilize in future. "I think the model for how studios deal with that peak and valley is still evolving," he said.
Spencer has assured fans recently that this year's Xbox E3 press briefing will be heavily focused on new game content (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/455216/microsofts-e3-press-event-to-feature-more-games-fewer-execs/).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/456369/e3-to-showcase-an-army-of-huge-franchises-says-xbox-exec/