http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/games-business-grows-with-persistent-fads
Games business grows with "persistent fads"
Matt Martin
08:00 (BST) 16/12/2009
The games business grows and evolves because of persistent fads, which entice new consumers and bring new money into the industry, while a loyal core base of players can be relied on to buy and support more traditional blockbuster games.
That's the view of EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, who sees Microsoft's Project Natal as the next in a line of fads during the current generation that have included Nintendo's Wii, fitness games, casual gaming and the music genre.
"Our industry works off persistent fads. I say the word 'fad', and some publishers hate it, but fad shouldn’t have this negative connotation. It's a good thing," said Divnich, in an exclusive interview published today.
Project Natal is "going to be the greatest thing for this industry since the Nintendo Wii," according to the analyst. "Because consumers out there are already addicted to motion-based gaming, but we've realised the limitations of the Wii and we want something more.
"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 Natal will deliver a very deep and sophisticated gaming experience. However, the non-traditional and casual side of the industry will look at Natal as an exciting new product that they will probably get bored of within 18 months," he warned.
(more at the link)
