Activision: Peripherals Still Important

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick impressed by Kinect and Move, but reveals the publisher is working on new bespoke peripherals.

Speaking during an exclusive interview in issue 220 of Edge (which will reach UK newsagent stands tomorrow), Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick, says that he doesn't think that Kinect and Move will spell the end for peripherals. Kotick reveals that the publisher will continue to produce them where appropriate and that it has new devices ready for next year.

"If the fantasy is to unleash your inner rock star, you need a guitar, or you need a mic, or a DJ booth," says Kotick. "Kinect and Move are superb for dance games - we don’t need to make a dance pad if you have Kinect. So as long as we think a peripheral is going to deliver something that’s compelling and interesting and innovative we’ll support it. For ten iterations of Tony Hawk, you weren’t really skateboarding, it was… thumbing.

"When we finally figured out how to build a skateboard - I think we probably could have done a better job on the first game, but I think we’ve nailed it on Shred - that experience, you just can’t duplicate it. To me, that’s moving the medium forward, and physical interfacing I think is a really important part of the future. So, yes, we’re going to keep making physical interface products if we think that’s going to enhance the experience - and we have some really cool ones for next year."

Kotick is impressed by the potential of the Sony and Microsoft motion controllers, as well as 3D, but believes that Kinect is priced too high.

"I think that 3D is super-compelling," he explains. "The push has come from film but, personally, I find that live action in 3D is disruptive to the storytelling. But games in 3D are incredible. And when you see bullets whizzing past your ear, or imagine you’re playing Guitar Hero over the internet and your bass player is right next to you, that’s a really great enhancement of a game experience. I think 3D was made for videogames, and I’m very excited about that. With Kinect… I love it as an idea, but [Microsoft has] got to get the price down."

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