Trip Hawkins is worried about the future of traditional gaming. As a publisher of casual games, it may seem like an strange concern – but only if you don’t know Trip. Creating Electronic Arts back in 1982, Hawkins is generally considered one of the architects of the modern games industry. Since founding the development house Digital Chocolate in 2003, Trip’s focus has been on growing the casual games industry in the same way he did the traditional games industry. But now it’s grown, and Trip wonders if casual games might just be big enough to swallow traditional games whole.
Trip Hawkins is worried about the future of traditional gaming. As a publisher of casual games, it may seem like an strange concern – but only if you don’t know Trip. Creating Electronic Arts back in 1982, Hawkins is generally considered one of the architects of the modern games industry. Since founding the development house Digital Chocolate in 2003, Trip’s focus has been on growing the casual games industry in the same way he did the traditional games industry. But now it’s grown, and Trip wonders if casual games might just be big enough to swallow traditional games whole.
In a recent interview with CNN Money, Hawkins discussed the shift towards casual and social gaming, and the traditional publishers resistance to adapt.
“The business model of gaming is broken, he says, and traditional gaming faces its largest challenge since id Software unleashed Doom in the early ’90s. The culprit? Casual games, with their small pleasures, constant releases, ease of play and cheap price. They can be played anywhere off any device—and in this device-frenzied age (hello, Android and iPad), the spread of these games is just going to get faster.”
The article also goes on to discuss the remarks Ben Cousins, a general manager at EA, made about the current state of affairs;
“Cousins acknowledgedthat the industry better figure out a solution fast. He compared the current state of affairs in gaming to the modern American supermarket supplanting the early 20th century full-service grocery store. Eventually, he said, casual games will overtake retail-focused counterparts.”
To read more, check out the complete article at CNNMoney.com.
