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Jason Rubin: Console Prices 'Out Of Hand', Hampering Launches
by Staff
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August 24, 2007
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In an in-depth new interview posted on Gamasutra today, former Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin has been discussing the state of the game biz, claiming that, with the exception of Nintendo, game console makers "have gotten caught up in the technology", with prices "a little bit out of hand" for the end user, suggesting: "I don’t think it’s about technology. It’s about entertainment."
Rubin recalled his own past with technology, saying, "I gave a speech in 2004 called 'Great Graphics: Who Cares?'", though he admitted, "I built Naughty Dog on graphics – Crash looked better than most other games at the time, and that’s what made people look at it."
"But," he continued, "it’s more about gameplay now. And I think the console manufacturers, as a whole, with the possible exception of Nintendo, have gotten caught up in the technology, and the prices have gotten a little bit out of hand for the end user, and that hampers the launches."
Rubin's concern is a matter of installed bases and maximizing an audience for a game, claiming, "I would much rather have a console that’s 30% weaker and have three times as many of them in the first year sold, so your game reaches a broader audience, and you can be a little bit more aggressive with your budgets up front and things like that. I don’t think it’s about technology. It’s about entertainment. No one that came to this show today [Comic-Con] came here to see the next technological advancement."
"They came to see the characters, the art, the style," he continued, "and, if they’re in the game area, the gameplay they love. I think as an industry we need to realize that we’re now fully entertainment, we’re not technology."
The full interview with Rubin is now available, with more reflections on the games industry, as well as his new projects Flektor and Iron & The Maiden.
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