Meier: Console audience "ready to step up to strategy"

via Computer and Video Games


ow is the time to kick-start the strategy genre on console as its audience is now "ready to step up to strategy gaming", reckons Firaxis chief and Civilization creator Sid Meier.

"I think the console audience has evolved to where it's not just hand-eye action games that we're seeing, there's a much wider variety of game genres becoming interesting on the consoles", Meier told CVG recently.

He explained that Firaxis, currently developing Civilization: Revolution Xbox 360, PS3, WII and DS, believes turn-based strategy is one of those things that needs to be there for the console player. "The console audience is ready to step up to strategy gaming, especially when we can present in a way that looks cool and sounds cool."

Consoles are an area where "there's so much energy and innovation", Meier added.

Meier paints a very clear picture of Firaxis's enthusiasm for console development, but it doesn't mean the developer's about to sideline the PC platform. "We're certainly not abandoning the PC, it's a very important part of our development thinking", he went on to say.

"For Civilization," he continued, "right now we have a separate approach for console versus PC because the PC version's really a fourth generation, it's really evolved to be a game that serves the hardcore, fanatic Civilization fan base."

Keep an eye out for our full interview with Sid Meier hitting these pages shortly.