Console transition blues? Blame the Germans
by Dan Choi 
{ Mar 2nd 2006 at 11:00PM }
Next Generation's Colin Campbell has a lot
of blame to dole out for the lousy state the game industry is in due to the shortages, delays, and generally dull titles
filling the market right now. First to finger? Sony's Phil Harrison. Next up? The Germans.The Germans? Well, Colin dishes out that foreign fault because a German manufacturer supposedly screwed up the component outsourcing that held up 360 production all around the world, which caused financial shortfalls for publishers (and more than a little disappointment for gamers) in the process. Phil Harrison gets the nod because his dreamy E3 presentation for the PS3 only served to exacerbate the drop in current-gen (including PS2) sales while next-gen consoles got delayed or released in all-too-limited numbers. Bad Phil!
Of course, those poor publishing execs get a bit of blame, too, as do used-game stores, developers, investors, members of the press, and other Sony creations like Blu-ray and the PSP. Nintendo is considered, but then dropped as Mr. Campbell couldn't "think of a single reason to blame" the Big N. (Wait, so the DS and DS lite shortages don't count then? Well, they are popular....) In the end, playing the blame game can be both productive (in nudging publishers, manufacturers, and media to do the right thing), and utterly repugnant (as when executives refuse to take responsibility and online flame wars rage unchecked). So does an article like this count as sharp analysis or another instance of passing the buck?
[Image taken from a Peoria Oktoberfest photo album located here]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
32_Footsteps @ Mar 2nd 2006 11:34PM
You know, I was secretly hoping this article would be how Uwe Boll makes console developers lose the will to live, delaying consoles until therapists can convince the developers that not everything video game-related sucks. I'm seriously let down.
guano @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:25AM
What was the point of this article? Nearly every part of the industry was blamed. And some of his points were pretty vague too.
refinedsugar @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:55AM
Stepping up to the soapbox is nothing new. We've all been here before and many of us could easily spout off the same rhetoric. What bothers me reading editors at these sites rattle off is I always come away with feelings that based on their name and/or who they write for that I'm supposed to read their words as religion, the true gossip and that they are gods for having written such thought provoking analyses that apparently everyone else is blind to see.
Joey @ Mar 3rd 2006 9:14AM
Wow, this is a really stupid article. "Blame the germans"? Maybe you should take this off...
PhoenixGeek @ Mar 3rd 2006 9:32AM
Wow, the picture for the article is from the city I live in. Yes it is a yearly event and yes people actually dress like that. No, I am not one of them.
zombieflanders @ Mar 3rd 2006 9:33AM
"Phil Harrison gets the nod because his dreamy E3 presentation for the PS3 only served to exacerbate the drop in current-gen (including PS2) sales"
WTF? PS2 sales actually *rose* this holiday season, and managed to outsell the XBox and 360 combined by a factor of 2:1.
Matthew @ Mar 3rd 2006 12:09PM
I know, I don't understand that comment about Phil either. PS2 sales have gone down? Really? Honestly, I'm really not the person to judge, but this article is kind of...umm.... dumb. But it's fun to read, so who cares. Joystiq, I used to be an avid reader of IGN, but now I can't get enough from your site. You guys can probably write a better article than from Colin Campbell of Next Generation.
Gonzo @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:02PM
Yea I think Phil Harisson is a bit of a d-bag but sony doesn't seem to be doing too shabby. We'll see how their ps3 launch works out though. They might end up slitting their own throats if they try to do too much with it and not enough with the ps2, whihc I still play all the time.
I was also surprised to not see Bolls name anywhere.
But I think the bastards who really deserve to be in here are Visual Impact. They're the little bus riders who put together that completely botched version of Burnout for the DS. At least that was the only DS game I was looking forward to that was disappointing.
Matt @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:15PM
It's called SATIRE, folks.
Nathan @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:48PM
Personally, I blame used game stores. Developers don't see a dime for used games. It's like buying one game, beating it, then passing it around to all your friends so they don't have to buy it. But in this case someone is makig money off it that had nothing to do with the creation of the product. NEVER BUY USED GAMES (unless it's no longer manufactured as new). Cheers.
HiroProtagonistak @ Mar 3rd 2006 2:20PM
WHAT ABOUT THE CRAB PEOPLE! WHAT ABOUT THOSE DAM CRAB PEOPLE!!!!
ejordan @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:46PM
If games are good, they won't be found at used games stores. If I'm wrong, show me where so I can buy it. I'm always looking for good games that are used.
Pikachelsea @ Mar 4th 2006 4:21PM
I think we should blame Canada.