Gaming industry needs mergers

[Mara]

Video game executives believe consolidation will be crucial to their future, but they also want further cuts to hardware prices to boost short-term growth, according to a report set for release this week.
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=5997759

[Jagndeke]

but they also want further cuts to hardware prices

Me Too!! :lol:

[Rafal Dudek]

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=5997759


not so fast! Then this will just turn into a movie industry of the "few big boys" and nothing for the little guy.

I say more the better! We'll have more aspiring artists working providing us with good solid entertainment =]

[Nova]

I agree with Zedd. One of the good things about the video game industry is that there are many different talented developers and publishers.

[Kalbrecht]

I agree. With the article, that is.

What we need to see is a consolidation of the industry into a mature market, something similar to the auto industry, the movie industry and so on.

Sure, it's great having all the individual developers, but at what cost? A multitude of games fighting for publishing money? Cancellations as the moneys run out?

What we need to see is a consolidation of funding, and a streamlining of developers into a system similar to the movie industry.

The movie industry exists on multiple levels, from the big blockbusters down to the indie developers. This can easily exist in the multibillion dollar gaming industry. And, like the massive movie industry - the 'big boys' can work with/own and fund smaller, independent arms - such as Fox's Searchlight pictures, or Miramax's many many deals, or Disney's now-defunct deal with Pixar. These produce movies with their own character, even while under the distribution umbrella of the major players.

As long as developers make sure the industry doesn't become a stranglehold of proprietary crap a la the music industry, I see no reason to fear consolidation.