Don't miss
  • 2,232
  • 6,844
  • 6097
  • 134
Nicholas Lovell
Home   >   Analysis and Opinion   >   Opinion   >   Web games companies will beat the console games developers by 2013

Web games companies will beat the console games developers by 2013

By on June 23, 2009

That’s the startling claim by James Currier, CEO of Wonderhill, which develops “wholesome” social media games targeted at the over 30s.

“The big picture is that the gaming world of the console developers is trying to move onto the Web just as the Web people are moving up into increasingly complex games that are being streamed to the home, not delivered on a $60 CD. It’s a culture clash, and there’s about $50 billion at stake.”

“Our advantages over the console game developers are iterative development, speed, viral marketing, adding social elements to our games, and developing inexpensive games.”

My money is on the Web people to take the lion’s share of the gaming world by 2013 because I think it’s easier for us to learn the philosophies of game creation than it is for the gamers to learn the philosophies that make you successful on the Web.”

That’s at least $25 billion of revenue flowing from the likes of Activision and EA into the social web within 4 years. That’s a pretty aggressive target. Do you agree with Currier, or is he living in cloud cuckoo land? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

About Nicholas Lovell

Nicholas is the founder of Gamesbrief, a blog dedicated to the business of games. It aims to be informative, authoritative and above all helpful to developers grappling with business strategy. He is the author of a growing list of books about making money in the games industry and other digital media, including How to Publish a Game and Design Rules for Free-to-Play Games, and Penguin-published title The Curve: thecurveonline.com