Molyneux slammed for PC gamer market 'in tatters' claim

I have another link to add to this thread http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...e-development/ A new survey from Game Developer Research shows that most developers are creating PC games, and for console developers 360 is number one. by James Brightman on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 According to the 2008 Game Development Survey, a new 180-page report from Game Developer Research that questions nearly 2,000 developers from North America and elsewhere (mostly Europe), the PC still rules the development roost. 70 percent of those surveyed said they are making games for the PC/Mac, compared to 43 percent who are making console games, 28 percent who are making games for web platforms and 16 percent who are making portable games (DS, PSP). Interestingly, on the console front, console developers seem to show a preference for Microsoft's Xbox 360. 73 percent are creating games for 360, 58 percent (including some of the same respondents) for PS3, and 42 percent for the Wii. 15 percent are also still creating games for the PS2. "...

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  kayon.seth wrote at 21:13 on 06 October 2008

  How come we have never heard of this PC Alliance ? I attend many trade shows and read every PC oriented rag and this is the first I have heard of them.

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  Kaldo wrote at 04:14 on 07 October 2008

  It's in tatters. Anyone who doesn't think so is living largely in denial.

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  dreamhunk wrote at 04:31 on 07 October 2008

  Pc is gaming is the biggest plat form in the world. It has more genres than any plat form in the world. There are countries that don't use consoles. Pc gaming invented every genre known to man. Pc gaming will never die and can't die!there is more games as well as free games for pc than there is console that is fact. You don't get indie games or mods on console. Anyone who beleaves other wise is in denial or doesn't know any thing about pc gaming.
  
  No console game will ever beat wow, sims, nacy drew, guild wars, daiblo, starcraft, half life. linage in sales.

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  RecoN wrote at 06:25 on 07 October 2008

  PC gaming isnt in tatters at all. For example, brothers in arms and farcry 2 are gettin released on it. yes or no? Theres alot of support when it comes to online play, look ay world of warcraft. Personally i hate the game, but some gamers actually have divorced because the amount of time and money they have spent on the game.
  
  Yes ok consoles are selling like hot cakes, but those who can afford to mod there rigs will happily do it and get the best games out. I class myself as a hardcore gamer and i spent 65 hours a week on game from steam, thats without any other game i play. PC gaming has changed alot to keep up with other formats. Yes there are alot of sim based games out, but when it comes to FPS shooters etc, just look at DOOM3, HL2, COD4. All those versions are no doubt better on a PC than a console.
  
  I can understand why hes gettin labelled "way off base" because hes not really stating the positive points about present and future possibiltys.

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  kayonseth wrote at 16:36 on 07 October 2008

  I play both console and PC but my preference is PC. I play a lot of Online games and find the PC to be a better platform for easy of use reason (online games). For higher end games I like the ability to play with mods that I don't get on the console. I also enhoy the freedom of the PC gaming platform. Consoles make me feel like I am giving my $$ to large companies who seek to profit from my need to play. PC seem like it is more my choice, at least who I give my $$ to and where I spend them. I also carry a kcik-butt laptop arround with me that I personally customized (not easy to do) to create a light-weight high end gaming system.

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  h0py wrote at 16:41 on 07 October 2008

  Lol, let's face it.
  The PC market has been focused down to four genres.
  RTS
  FPS
  Simulation
  MMORPG
  
  Crysis
  WoW
  Conan
  Warhammer Online
  Spore
  Sims
  C&C 3
  Red Alert 3
  Far Cry 2
  
  
  I wouldn't say it's "in tatters"
  but it's genre appeal is becoming more and more limited.
  A pity.

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  dreamhunk wrote at 16:49 on 07 October 2008

  pc is cuting edge gaming and tech something console can't compete with.
  Consoles are old machines
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVsT4D2_VTI
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBPegjNG2qw
  
  It's fact that pc gamers will spend $ 2 000 or more for their hardware to play the latest games. it has always been like that.
  
  http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,6...t heir_times/
  
  Pc gaming is world wide and is not limited, Game devs have alot more room to be creative and push their dreams on the pc. You can't get complex or deep rich games on consoles. Pc games can keep a gamer playing the same game for 1 to 3 years or more. exmaple guild wars it sold over 5 mill units 2 years ago and still selling.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DOYuktGGe0
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMxhA...eature=related
  
  By the way pc has all the genres even fighting games, In fact there is fighting mmo's. moo's begin the must complex games there is to date
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxtu6uDLig
  
  It will be along time before you will ever see a game like this on console it's a new genre
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ko1a73VG1U
  
  this how complex they are
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPZIYiiVi9Q
  
  check out warmonger a free game for pc
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8DdEtBMRQY

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  Ryan wrote at 13:12 on 10 October 2008

  I remember attending a lecture at a video game design institute a few years back that was being led by Konami, I believe. In so few words, the spokesperson also said that the PC market is declining when compared to console sales.
  
  Personally, I love playing both, and in fact, probably play more on the PC since my favorite genre is RTS (FPS close second) I would like to try and see this from a developer's perspective though. For a console developer, you have the security of being able to make a game that runs smoothly on only one platform (or 2 or 3 if you're counting PS3, Wii, and 360 as all separate) while a PC developer has to have the skills to make his game run smooth on a wide range of hardware to increase sales just enough without sacrificing quality of the game.
  
  Also, what about pirating? PC developers go through all the hard work that console developers do, but end up with less money in the end because kids all over the world know how to pirate games before they are old enough to work. Console devs, once again, have the security of knowing that their new blockbuster hit will yield a great return.
  
  I guess what I'm trying to say is, while the PC market isn't "in tatters" from a quality of games perspective, I do believe it is in tatters from a financial perspective. Console developers simply make more money, and the gap is only going to widen if PC devs don't start finding ways to make their games completely piracy protected. I am glad that there are still PC gaming titans out there like Blizzard keeping the industry very much alive.

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  dreamhunk wrote at 22:13 on 10 October 2008

  
  There is just as much pircay on consoles as pc that is fact. These game devs don't talk about it. They blame everything on the pc! If they care about their fans they would not call them criminals. There is huge communties around one soft ware. Look at companies like vavle, bio-ware, blizzard, anet these companies care about their fans! No console has beaten half life, daiblo, guild wars, wow,linage,sims in sales! there is none!
  http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2...e-piracy_x.htm
  
  http://www.forbes.com/2005/07/18/vid...718piracy.html

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  White Wolf wrote at 14:14 on 16 October 2008

  Molyneux says about PC gamer MARKET - not PC GAMES. May be PC is better for gamers, may be not. But it's very bad for developers / publishers, when they sold only 40 000 copies of Assassin’s Creed for PC. And it's very bad for PC platform.

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  dreamhunk wrote at 14:17 on 16 October 2008

  Farcry for abox 360 just got pirated to hell and back!
  http://gamextract.com/?p=3486
  so much for your perfect platform!!!

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  dreamhunk wrote at 14:17 on 17 October 2008

  http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/55395
  Today's NPD numbers left out sales for PC games, as is typical, but this month the market research firm decided to take a look at PC game sales anyway to see how they would fare.
  
  "Although PC games sales are not included in these numbers, there were two that should be pointed out," wrote NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a press release accompanying September's sales data.
  
  "Spore realized sales of 406,000 units and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning sold 274,000 which would put them both in the top 10 list of combined console, portable and PC games sales for the month," Frazier continued.
  
  In fact, Spore's numbers would place it squarely in third place for September, just below the explosive launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3, PS2, 360, Wii, DS, PSP) and perpetual best-seller Wii Fit. Warhammer Online, on the other hand, would take eighth in a combined PC-and-console sales chart.
  
  If Warhammer's sales look at odds with the 500,000 players the game picked up in the days after its September 18 launch, it's because NPD only looks at United States retail sales whereas Warhammer's subscriber base is a worldwide number.

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  dreamhunk wrote at 14:53 on 19 October 2008

  I have another link to add to this thread
  http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...e-development/
  
  A new survey from Game Developer Research shows that most developers are creating PC games, and for console developers 360 is number one.
  by James Brightman on Wednesday, August 13, 2008
  According to the 2008 Game Development Survey, a new 180-page report from Game Developer Research that questions nearly 2,000 developers from North America and elsewhere (mostly Europe), the PC still rules the development roost. 70 percent of those surveyed said they are making games for the PC/Mac, compared to 43 percent who are making console games, 28 percent who are making games for web platforms and 16 percent who are making portable games (DS, PSP).
  
  Interestingly, on the console front, console developers seem to show a preference for Microsoft's Xbox 360. 73 percent are creating games for 360, 58 percent (including some of the same respondents) for PS3, and 42 percent for the Wii. 15 percent are also still creating games for the PS2. "This implies that the greatest amount of Western console developers by sheer numbers are creating games for Microsoft's console-- but due to team size differences, this doesn't necessarily imply that more games will appear on the Xbox 360 than other consoles," explained Game Developer Research.
  
  In terms of portables, of those developers making handheld games, 75 percent said they are creating games for the Nintendo DS compared to 45 percent for the PSP – not too surprising considering the massive installed base of the DS.
  
  The rest of the report delves into trends in programming language, purchasing habits and development choices regarding tools, game engines, etc. The report is selling for the price of $2,495 at the Game Developer Research website.

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