Consoles helping niche PC titles

via Eurogamer


Paradox Interactive producer Johan Andersson believes consoles are actually helping niche PC titles prosper.

Speaking exclusively to Eurogamer, he said the new machines not only drive more people to games, but also segment the market - making it much easier for titles like his Europa Universalis series to find their target audience.

"Generally we feel it is good for the industry as a whole that more and more people are finding their way to gaming," said Andersson.

"People have been saying for years that the PC market is declining; yet we've seen massive growth and success in our niched PC segment instead.

"I don't want to predict where PC gaming in general is going, but for us, the increase in consoles has made the market more segmented, and consequently made it easier for us to reach our target audience and vice versa," he added.

Europa Universalis is a deep strategy series that takes place on a Risk-like map, where the idea is to conquer the rest of it with your starting faction.

It enjoys a solid and enthusiastic following on PC, with a forum made up of around 83,000 members; and while Paradox will always lean towards its home platform, Andersson believes he could work with something like the DS.

"We are always open to new opportunities and there are certain platforms that lend themselves well to the type of strategy we do, handheld variants like the Nintendo DS for instance. But our main focus will always be on what we do best and to cater to our target audience and our niche," concluded Andersson.

It is a refreshing perspective from an often overlooked area, but while niche games may prosper, bigger-budget titles like Crysis appear to be a dying breed - arguably destined to join the likes of The Orange Box, World in Conflict and Command & Conquer on consoles further down the line.