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EEDAR's Divnich: Game Industry Feeds Off Fads
Core gamers may not want to hear it, but EEDAR director of analyst services Jesse Divnich believes fads like motion controls, touch screens, balance boards, and guitar peripherals are integral to industry growth. Speaking to the music/rhythm genre, Divnich said, "I say the word 'fad', and some publishers hate it, but fad shouldn’t have this negative connotation. It's a good thing. Fads can last in the gaming industry for three or four years and if you can get four years out of a product, that's great."
With Nintendo's motion control and balance board sales on the wane and the music genre suffering from over-saturation courtesy of Activision, Divnich believes the next fad to buoy industry sales will be Microsoft's Natal. "It's going to be huge," he said. "I think it's going to be the greatest thing for this industry since the Nintendo Wii. Because consumers out there are already addicted to motion-based gaming, but we've realized the limitations of the Wii and we want something more. We want something more evolved and more sophisticated, and I think Project Natal is going to deliver those on two fronts."
"Yes, Natal will be viewed as a gimmick," he said. "I hate to use the word 'gimmick', but that's what we need as consumers. We need a feature to stick out and grab our attention and being able to advertise a peripheral that completely drops the need for a physical input device, like a controller, will be huge. Although I personally believe the Natal will deliver a very deep and sophisticated gaming experience. However, the non-traditional and casual side of the industry will look at the Natal as an exciting new product that they will probably get bored of within 18 months."
What do you think? Do you agree these fads are good for the industry or would you rather have publishers focus on more core games?
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