Wednesday, July 13, 2011

THQ CEO: Next-gen is 'less about technology and more about service'

"We believe Apple is going to be there, Google is going to be there," THQ head honcho Brian Farrell told an audience at today's GamesBeat conference in San Francisco. He isn't talking about this weekend's killer tech company pool party (you should come!); instead, he's talking about the next generation of game consoles. "Our view is that the next generation of consoles, if there are consoles, are going to be less about technology and more about service orientation of the gamer." Take that, technology!

Apple and Google are already changing the video gaming landscape and their Apple TV and Google TV platforms have the potential to be even bigger game-changers. Though as bullish as he is on Apple and Google's mobile offerings, Farrell still sees a future for the PlayStation Vita and 3DS. "The dedicated handheld market is going to find an audience, but it isn't going to be as broad because of the competition from other operating systems. What the market is telling us, is consumers want a very quickly consumable mobile experience; it doesn't necessarily have to be deep."

While THQ is still intent on making expensive plays in the AAA console gaming space, like September's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine and November's Saint's Row The Third, it's also working on "better bite-size games," according to GamesBeat, "rather than massive titles with awesome graphics on hand-held consoles like Sony's PlayStation Vita or the Nintendo 3DS."

With EA plunking down some serious cash for PopCap, one of iOS's top-earning developers, we're seeing more publishers focus on the new mobile space. Now the question is whether or not gamers have enough time and money to support that many competing mobile platforms. Sorry, Panasonic Jungle.

JoystiqTHQ CEO: Next-gen is 'less about technology and more about service' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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