Y'all may recall a rant from Dave Perry last year, in which Earthworm Jim's dad predicted that the Wii would lack staying power, due to its shortage of technical grunt. Well, Codemasters CEO Rob Cousens is clearly singing from a similar hymn sheet, because he's made pretty much the same prediction in an interview with GameDaily.Warning that people would write Sony and Microsoft off "at their peril," Cousens claimed that Wii 2 would have to come along "pretty quickly" if Nintendo wanted to keep the Wii dream going for a full ten years. In short, he reckons the hordes of new gamers that have propelled the Wii to success may grow tired of the console before long.
"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," claimed Cousens. "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," he added. "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."
It's a little early in the console cycle to decide whether he has a point, but Cousens' argument also sounds as though it's based on a personal hunch, rather than any compelling evidence. But who knows, maybe we're all going to be horribly wrong when it comes to guessing the eventual victor from this bloody battle.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-09-2008 @ 3:35PM
Nigeria said...
A suit from Codemasters, masters of bargain bin trash (amirite, huh), says the Wii has no staying power?
I say, Codemasters have no staying power.
There output in the last decade has been shockingly poor: boring simulations of boring sports, with a sprinkling of Micro Machine reruns.
Considering the company's dominance in the bargain bin, they'll always remain a low tier developer.
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1-09-2008 @ 3:47PM
Directive0 said...
Doesn't make what he's saying any less valid.
1-09-2008 @ 3:53PM
hvnlysoldr said...
Of course it makes it less valid. If they don't know how the market is working for their games to be successful, then how could they know how the market will react to the Wii?
1-09-2008 @ 3:56PM
HellsHammer said...
I've got to agree.
Codemasters have no room to talk, releasing amazing, upcoming titles like Dirty Dancing® - The Video Game. Joke.
"Codemasters CEO Rob Cousens is clearly" embarrassed by his company's pathetic video game releases and needs to bash someone.
None of the points he made have anything to do with game play or characters, music, or storyline. Just graphics. Everyone has a different opinion on what makes a video game and for me, it's not graphics.
Not to mention that PS3 seems to be making out like a Sega Saturn...with even less games.
1-09-2008 @ 6:50PM
Joshua said...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
1-10-2008 @ 12:26AM
Spekkio said...
@ Joshua
Yes, you're right - ad hominem applies. However, I would counter with "consider the source." You don't ask kids in little league serious questions about baseball.
1-09-2008 @ 3:48PM
Derek B said...
Is it me, or does he look like Senator Palpatine?
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1-09-2008 @ 8:26PM
sepaar said...
Nah, I'd say more of an elderly Bilbo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings.
Going with the Star Wars theme and quoting Yoda, "Force not make one great", and neither does processor power. sorry, just had to work that one in. Anyway, great graphics don't make games great. Graphics can certainly help, but their not everything.
1-09-2008 @ 3:51PM
Julien said...
Google Jean Charest...
Holy cow!
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1-09-2008 @ 3:53PM
Julien said...
just to add to my comment:
http://www.assnat.qc.ca/FRA/membres/img/c/chaj5.jpg
1-09-2008 @ 4:01PM
Vogelfrei said...
I really doubt Cousens knows what he's talking about when he dismisses the "60-year old" video game market -- honestly, nobody knows what they're talking about, since it's a new market.
However, he does make a good point that Nintendo is going to be under market pressure to enhance the capabilities of the Wii. But those enhancements will continue to arrive as conceptual innovations rather than as "technological supremacy or power."
Nintendo has broadened its market by appealing to new gamers, and that demographic has a completely different set of expectations of what makes a good game and what makes a good system. So, their expectations for what features could be added to the console will also differ from the traditional gamer -- in particular, their first thought won't be "more polygons and more frames per second."
All of us Wii fanboys have our wish lists (online voice chat, anyone?). There's plenty of room for Nintendo to continue to innovate with this system while still opting out of the processing power arms race.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:04PM
clif said...
ha! biggest load of bull. the isn't going to die. A Wii 2 yes but hell let wiiware out the door and external storage support here in the next couple of month then we will see what happens. These people crack me up since the wii is selling like hot cakes and continues to be so popular. I'm been a gamer since the nes and neo geo days. I've owned a gameboy, genesis,snes n64, ps1, and a dreamcast. But to have good or great games you really don't always need a cell processor or 360. I just can't wait until Brawl comes out in three weeks then the wii will even become more popular. These "so called" analysts/developers I wonder if they are payed off by PR firms from microsoft or sony to keep giving the wii bad pr like this?
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1-09-2008 @ 4:10PM
Dan said...
Name a console that lasted 10 years. That strategy is OVER. Nintendo doesn't believe the Wii will last 10 years -- they have plans for a new system in the next 4 years, I'll bet.
Quite the contrary: this guy is stupid (and so is Sony) if they expect to live up to their goal of a 10 year life-cycle for the PS3.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:14PM
Ghaleon said...
Easy to say if you operate under a false assumption: That Nintendo, like Sony, has to brainwash people into thinking its systems have a 10-year lifecycle of relevant, new content.
Who the fuck plays only ONE system for 10 years? Who ONLY played an NES from 1984-1994 or a PSX from 1995-2005? Gimmie a break. The major game systems usually have had about 5 years of mainstream use (even the Playstation 2, which didn't really break through until after MGS2 and GTAIII were out, so basically 2002).
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1-09-2008 @ 4:19PM
Mr Khan said...
CodeMaster's did make DiRT, which was a very notable exception to the low-budget junk they tend to put out
I agree with his assessment that Nintendo will have to put out new technology faster than the competition, but Wii will definitely live out a traditional 5-year console cycle, even if the successor is put out in 2010, as i predict, Wii will live on while Nintendo On (bet on it) starts out, much as PS2 lives on today
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1-09-2008 @ 4:21PM
Jesse said...
graphical quality has NOTHING to do with a good game
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1-09-2008 @ 4:25PM
DomoBraden said...
I can't say that he really any room to criticize, but I do think he's partially correct.
Whether the current console generation last four years or ten years, I assume that Nintendo will be releasing the first next-gen console this time. They make much more off of each Wii they sell than Microsoft or Sony does, so not only will releasing a successor earlier on be financially viable for them, but who knows what the market trend will look like in gaming a few years from now...The Wii may not continue selling like hot-cakes by then, who knows. If that's the case, releasing a more powerful console would be a wise choice.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:34PM
Mike B said...
Right! Since when have consoles (lately) lasted 10 years?! If they do, great, good for them. But every console manufacturer KNOWS that that thing only has a shelf life of five years before they have to get a new one out there.
I know PS2 and Super Nintendo and Nintendo had long legacies, but a console being built initially to last 10 years is just silly thinking. Of course Nintendo will have a "Wii 2" within 4 years.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:35PM
mian said...
I don't doubt the sustainability of analysts doubting the sustainability of Wii. Though I'm surprised the desired timescale is now "10 years".
The most powerful console of the last gen lasted what? 3 years? Seeing as how we're in the middle of a major tv switchover, sure, I expect a new console in a few years. I just don't follow how that's a black mark.
Also, the old person market in the US isn't getting any smaller.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:41PM
Haohmaru said...
Don't mind Cousens. He's just bitter and in denial about being old. :P
That was a joke, but seriously, I definitely wasn't expecting Wii to last 10 years. Give it a few years and a new console will have already been announced, I'm pretty sure.
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1-09-2008 @ 4:42PM
Mark McLaughlin said...
I am continually baffled at how people don't understand what makes the Wii successful, especially when compared to PS3 and XBox360.
It's the gameplay and interaction stupid!
"Because right now it isn't driven by technological supremacy or power." Um... the wiimote isn't technological supremacy?
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1-10-2008 @ 11:27AM
gogetaxl said...
The Wiimote isn't "technological supremacy". Motion sensors aren't new, Microsoft did it with a controller for PC a while back.
Also gameplay and interaction isn't the reason the Wii is successful. Its because the Wii got a mass appeal to casuals, thats the only reason. Casuals aren't going to spend $350-$500 on a 360 or PS3, thats core and hardcore gamer territory. Gamecube and N64 had great gameplay and interaction but did they appeal to casuals? No because casuals will buy the most gimmicky products imagineable, as long as their the "in" thing.
1-09-2008 @ 4:47PM
Tom said...
Whaty a dumbass. First, he criticizes the Wii's market! I mean, I'm not 60 years old. I'm 15!!! And guess what? I don't play Brain Age!! I'm playing awesome games like Corruption, Galaxy, MoH:H2, BWii, Fire Emblem, tons of VC games, and soon enough Brawl and Mario Kart Wii!!!Anyone who even thinks the Wii is only for old people and 5 year olds is written off as a dumbass in my book immediately. Plus, is the PS3 seriously going to survive 10 years? NO!!What about the 360? NO!!!! So why would the Wii? I'm expecting 5 more years (yeah, not 4 like everyone else) from the Wii, and maybe 1 extra year tacked onto the 360 and the PS3 where they're hooked up to life-support and no one cares about em. Just my 2 cents.
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1-09-2008 @ 5:19PM
Eddie said...
I'm pretty sure people use "60-year olds" or "5 year olds" and "Casual Gamers" interchangeably. That means, those barely alive are less likely to be into hardcore gaming like the 360 and PS3 offer. Pwning n00bs at Halo is not as interesting to them as simple, gimmicky games like wii bowling or mario party. They don't get hardcore games, and don't want to. Don't get so offended, that book of yours can fill up quick.
1-09-2008 @ 5:02PM
Rainer said...
I actually kind of agree with Cousens here. As much as I love the Wii, I'd like for a beefed up Wii2 to come out soon, and would be willing to pay more than the current $250. I don't own a 360 or PS3, but I'd sure love to play some of their nice, powerful, high res games that could be even more fun with motion controls.
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1-09-2008 @ 5:14PM
DevilMan said...
EA will gobble codemasters up soon enough. I think the wii will be around at least 5 years or so with many attachments and add ons to increase functionality. Anyway this guy is blowing smoke and on drugs hehe.
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1-09-2008 @ 5:25PM
BananaBoat said...
The Wii isn't going to last beyond 2, maybe 3 more years. People are buying Wii's and just playing Wii Sports for crying out loud. Sooner or later the developers will start to realize that it's no longer profitable to put out games on the wii.
Someone has said it before, and I'll say it again, all the third party wii titles do, is make the first party Nintendo titles (like Zelda, Mario, Etc) look INCREDIBLE by comparison. The developers will realize that at some point, and then they'll be knocking Nintendo's doors down and demanding that they put out a console that can appeal to the hardcore Xbox/PS3 fans.
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1-09-2008 @ 5:47PM
Mr Khan said...
There have been many articles stating that Publishers have been making more money by developing for Wii, and not just the minigame pushers like Ubisoft, people who put out more legitimate content like Capcom and Konami
Profit is to be made with lower sales, making the Wii an ideal target for products that aren't epic in their scale, but are still ambitious in what they hope to accomplish
1-09-2008 @ 7:13PM
vidGuy said...
This guy's smoking the same stuff Sony reps are. Ten years? NO ONE expected the Wii to have a true, viable lifespan of ten years. Wii 2 will be out 2011-2012, and by no means is that a quick release.
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1-09-2008 @ 8:01PM
Sp@cedog said...
since when has any console lasted more than 5 years. 10 years seriously we will be on PS4 or PS5
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1-09-2008 @ 10:29PM
Mark said...
He's just mad because he didn't get a Wii for Christmas.
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1-10-2008 @ 2:57AM
Perverted said...
Although i must admit Codemasters to kinda suck at making good games some people like them and buy them or they'd be out of business by now.....And he does have a point since the Wii is closer to the PS2 in graphics and not the PS3, devs will just port PS2 games and make the graphics look terrible.
When hardware sales really start to fall in about 2011 they'll(Nintendo) will probably unveil a new Wii(not called Wii2) probably with the same wiimote, porbably with something new and graphics equal to the 360.
I actually think 360 will be first with a new console as the 360 still has problems and no built in HD/BR ....I can see the XboxX or something in 2010
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1-10-2008 @ 1:29PM
lawrence said...
he is telling the truth a bit nintendo or developers better start making something good on the besides all the gimmicky accessories cause im getting real fucking tired of playing zelda everyday on my wii so now im just playing hl orangebox on ps3 now and sony is telling the truth about the ps3 lifecycle now look at the psp lifecycle its good to see that sony actualy think about just doing updates with ps3 and nintendo did not even think about it they just say dial#"wiii",i wanna see good wii games and smashbros should not be the only wii game through 2008 what am i gonna get thenin november 2008.zelda galaxy and legend of mario
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1-10-2008 @ 8:03PM
vidGuy said...
There's at least a dozen different games, both 1st party and 3rd, that deserve your money now. So, it's really up to you if you want to play good games on the Wii or not.