Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens speaks out about the Wii

[Bodhesatva]

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/codemasters-ceo-doubts-wii-sustainability-envisions-wii-2/19021/?biz=

Notable quotations:

"The global event that's been marked as a surprise for most people is the huge success that Nintendo's achieved in every territory... The challenge that third-party software publishers face in supporting that market is that it's clearly a market dominated by the first party and always has been," he said. "If you look back at the Nintendo track record over the last 20-25 years, it's a typical situation where Nintendo will take 60-70 percent of the market and third parties will compete for the remaining 40 percent.

 

"I think this cycle has got a long way to go and it's certainly not over. Anyone writing off Sony and Microsoft do so at their peril. I could give you an argument that says there's going to be a 'Wii 2' pretty quickly because [Nintendo would need one] in order to sustain momentum over a 10-year period. And what type of software would it have then? Because right now it isn't driven by technological supremacy or power. I wonder if the idea of opening up a whole new audience to 60-year-olds looking to make sure their brain cells don't die off is a sustainable form of entertainment. Maybe they got it right because we are all an aging population in Western markets, but I somehow think as a form of entertainment that won't be the case," he concluded.

 

I've made the case on repeated occassions that some CEOs for software publishers seemed to be absolutely refusing to believe the Wii's success, to the point of almost hilariously steadfast denial, and this appears to be such a case. Furthermore, I doubt Mr. Cousens is alone on this.

Please keep in mind, folks, that I'm not agreeing with what he is saying. At all, actually. I'm just pointing out that there are clearly people who think like this, including important people with significant influence in the industry, and whether they are right or wrong, their perspective will influence software development from third parties.