THQ boss talks multi-platform trends

While blockbuster franchise after blockbuster franchise continue to leave the comfortable land of platform exclusivity for the rocky shores of multi-platform anarchy, one mega-publisher is re-examining that strategy. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, THQ CEO Brian Farrell lays it out for us (and points out a fun YouTube video while he's at it):

"I don't mean to over-simplify this, but in the past a lot of publishers -- including us -- would say, 'Okay, let's make a game and get it across every system.' That's not our strategy going forward; there are going to be different gamers for the different systems. So our strategy is different types of content, segmented on who the users of the systems are."

Of course, the Wii and PS2 continue to share newly developed titles, and the PS3 and Xbox 360 will certainly continue to do so. Perhaps, with the Wii's humble graphical capabilities, and the PS2's incredible penetration rate and pretty good forwards compatibility, Sony's aging super-console will continue to see active development for the life of the Wii, while the Xbox 360 and PS3 continue to battle for the "core gamer," as Farrell puts it. Sounds like a winning combo to us.

Reader Comments (11)

On topic:

I doubt the PS2 will still be getting new games for the life of the Wii.

Off Topic:

I wonder how long it'll be before some politician points out that the college shooter, may have, at some time, played video games.

not good news to sony haters who hate to see them make a cent of profit. ps2 or playstation 3

wii/ps2 combo is untill the casual consumer base moves on and nintendo can finnaly get their system out in bulk. it's been 5 months and i still don't see wii's on shelves, at this point i'm not thinking so much consumer demand as i am lack of supply. but the ps2 wii combo may last a very long time, look at how long the life of the ps1 was during the very sucessful life of ps2. it was still geting budget family games and qwerky others while the core gamer had already moved on. an install base of 100million ps2s (and ps3 backwards compatablity) dosent go away in a flash, and is good for devs that want to make up for the lack of wii install base to generate more sales.
(btw, call me stupid, i know some of you will, but i purchased raving rabbids on ps2. one reason being i wasn't going to wait on the supply of wii to come in so i could walk into a store and buy one. i have no regrets)

He points out the flaw with multi-platform. The publishers are trying to push the game out to the largest possible audience so set out as many hooks as possible at all the fishing holes. Each fish is looking at its own needs and won't be at every hole. So be smart when trying to lay out as many lines as possible and use the right kind of bait at the right location.

Also agree with #1 that PS2 will die off. I figure the sales of the PS2 at this point are either those late comers catching up on PSX and PS2 titles or are replacing them.

off topic.
what if sony made all ps2 contollers sold from here on out with sixaxis tilt in them. would that help extend the portablity and life of the ps2/wii combo, thus prolonging and increasing profits? or would it just alienate the console and make them look like copycats?

But the GBA, the PS2, and the DS made the "core gamer" extinct years ago! You think these "core gamers" are the ones that make Madden the best selling game of the year?

@alienclay, please drop the Wii supply issue. If it was a lack of supply, it wouldn't be outselling every other console by hundreds of thousands per month in every territory. Unless you think they're holding back maybe... 1% of the supply. I guess that could make sense... maybe.

Makes sense. I dont see why this is sensational at all. For example, the Wii's technical capabilities and unique controller scheme should prevent any developer from straight-porting games to the system. At the very minimum they should do like madden 2007 and add unique, motion sensitive features.

However, what is the real difference between the X360 and PS3 demos? Maybe X360 users spend more time using online multiplayer and american-style FPS games, whereas PS3 users are more likely to favor single-player games and japanese style RPG and adventure gameS?

the casual gaming market is way bigger than the hardcore market, especially for consoles

that is why the wii and ps2( ps2 especially) sell so well

both of them have the lowest graphics of there generation, but they still sell well because they both appeal to the casual gamer who dosent know the difference between 1080i and 1080p, and are amused by being able to point at the screen and shake it around for mario party and rayman

hardcore gamers and rich bitches are the only one's buying the ps3, and even then most hardcore gamers would prefer an xbox 360 for the larger library and xbox live superiority

@1

dude it was totally videogames fault for that shooting, i heard that at one point he jumped on another students head, spilling out there coins which he then stole

@8 I don't know about not knowing (heh) about 1080i/p. I know the difference, and I don't know if I'm a casual or 'hardcore' player (I've been playing videogames since moonlander on the spectrum and centipede on the atari 2600 days). But the point is it's not that I don't know about 1080i/p, rather that I don't CARE. ps2/GC/Wii graphics are just fine for me, I really don't need photorealistic games (except to say 'ohh' the first 2 hours of play, then focus on the gameplay). I want FUN games, and so far my Ninty Wii is delivering quite well.

On the 'ohhh' subject, I remember having that situation when I tried out HalfLife 2 and some Quake releases. Running around maps checking out the water effects, the models, textures, bump mapping on doom3, etc. Then, when I started actually playing the game, I almost didn't pay attention to it except maybe when the game got boring. And you know what? Quake 2 + lithium is still the best deathmatch/CTF game in history :)

"Sony's aging super-console will continue to see active development for the life of the Wii, while the Xbox 360 and PS3 continue to battle for the "core gamer," as Farrell puts it. Sounds like a winning combo to us."

Hmm.. Sounds like lots of bad PS2 ports with tacked on motion controls for Wii to me.

Then again, many of the "big" multiplatform franchises such as Call of Duty are not getting a PS2 version anymore and as a result, there will be no Wii version either.

Translated from THQ-speak into English: "We're going to keep using the Wii as nothing but a dumping grounds for our Nickelodeon-liscenced-IP shovelware. The 360 and PS3 will get the rest of the worthless crap we make."

THQ boss talks multi-platform trends

Reader Comments (11)

Posted: Apr 16th 2007 6:26PM (Unverified) said

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