DTF.RU: Gaming Industry Results for 2006

Alexander Blo at The Daily Telefrag summed up the year . The results were very interesting!



EVENTS OF THE YEAR

1. Coming next-gen
   
   The outgoing year had the rarest event in the world of games - the coming of a new generation of systems. All three leading players in the world - Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo - presented new versions of their consoles and entered into competition. Of course, Microsoft formally launched its prefix of a new generation last November, but the real coming next-gen we still tend to consider this year, when PlayStation 3 and Wii appeared on the markets of the planet.
   
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   What is especially nice, does not stand aside and Russia. Microsoft Rus is about to launch the Xbox 360; "New Disc" as an authorized representative of Nintendo has already distributed the first local supply of the Wii (not as large as distributors would like, but still); preparing to conquer the Russian market and the PlayStation 3 (which, of course, and we are aware of this, you first need to cope with the wild deficit in more important areas). Plus, local representatives of platform holders unanimously express their fundamental interest in local developers.
   
   
   
   The first Russian exhibition "IgroMir"
   
   The first exhibition "IgroMir", held in early November of this year, was exactly what was expected of it - a bright noisy festival for all fans of electronic entertainment. The audience accepted “IgroMir” with a bang - kilometer-long queues at the entrance and twenty-five thousand visitors indicates that the audience is not only ripe for such an event, but also that the exhibition will definitely be held in the future. This is also indicated by the level of stands in which participants were not afraid to invest very significant funds by Russian standards.
   
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   All this means that a status gaming event has appeared in Russia, which puts our industry (and country at the same time) on par with the industries of Western countries. And it is worth it to write IgroMir-2006 in one of the main events of the year.
   
   
   
   The release of "Heroes of Might and Magic V" from the company "Nival"
   
   When the first rumors reached us that a new version of the legendary game Heroes of Might and Magic would be made in Russia, we didn’t really believe it. But when they learned that Nival Interactive would be doing it, they calmed down - the series is in safe hands. Having taken up this grandiose project, our developers honorably brought it to the end, without dropping the faces of the famous franchise on the way. Now in the list of games made on the territory of the former USSR and received recognition in the western game world, a new name - HOMMV. No matter how you twist, for the national gamedev this event.
   
   
   
   Nintendo's stunning success
   
   Nintendo, stubbornly following its "samurai" path, so different from the policies of other industrial leaders, can safely record 2006 in the list of the most successful in its long history. Who would have thought that a company that had been recorded as an outsider in the game world for many years would be able to perform so powerfully, and on two fronts at once. At first it was the original DS console, which embodied the new vision of President Satoru Iwata and this year was a redesign. And this year, with the help of an incredible PR campaign, Nintendo managed to turn the Wii console, which differs from its competitors by the original management, into the most desirable purchase of the holiday season. At the same time, the “big N” managed to conduct a planetary launch of a new platform, which was surprisingly successful. Farewell to the role of an industrial outsider, Nintendo is now again at the forefront of the gaming front.
   
   
   
   Online Boom
   
   In Western countries and in Asia, online gaming has been experiencing a real heyday for several years. Gradually, domestic companies began to enter this sector of the gaming industry - probably, 2006 was a record year in the number of announcements of all sorts of online games of Russian origin. The variety of shapes and colors is capable of scaring an inexperienced viewer - conventional MMO, and browser, and for mobile platforms are announced. Business remains behind small - it is necessary to supply each player with broadband connection with the Internet.
   
   
   
   Casual Games Boom
   
   Under the incomprehensible naked ear the word "casual" hides a multimillion-dollar market, many thousands of players who are not ready to spend most of their time on games. But they are ready to spend their hard-earned money on fleeting electrical entertainment that do not require enhanced stimulation of the spinal cord. The popularity of casual games is so high that a separate “panel” was dedicated to it at KRI-2006, and at the end of the year in Ukraine a Casuality conference was held, dedicated exclusively to this branch of game industry.
   
   
   
   Merge AMD and ATi
   
   The largest event in the field of gaming "iron" occurred in July of this year, when the manufacturer of computer processors AMD acquired the Canadian company ATi, specializing in the creation of graphics chips. The amount of the transaction amounted to more than 5.4 billion, but it is unlikely that something will change for the players: the ATi brand and the famous Radeon video cards will be preserved. And a new alliance may soon offer an interesting novelty: a hybrid of graphic and conventional processor for computers.
   
   
   
   EXPECTING THE YEAR
   
   
   1. Playstation 3
      
      Perhaps Sony executives even in a terrible dream could not have imagined such a launch of the PlayStation 3. The optimistic mood of the public about this console began to fade long before hour X, when the console delayed and the initial price was announced (many found it indecently high). A little later, news came that Sony could not launch a one-time launch of the PS3, significantly reduces initial shipments and excludes Europe from the launch regions. After all this, the company still blocked the “launch”, not having time to prepare a sufficient number of devices by November, and the few lucky people who became owners of PS3 had every chance of becoming a victim of robberies on the way home from the store.
      
      
      
      There were consequences inside Sony itself, where after the disastrous start of the console, major personnel changes occurred - the legendary “PlayStation father” Ken Kutaragi was removed from his post.
      
      
      
      As a result, the PlayStation 3 was launched in the next-gen race from third place, and although Sony itself has no doubt that in the future it will have leadership, it would definitely not be to say this.
      
      
      
      E3 format change
      
      Entertainment Electronic Expo closed after ten years of more than a successful existence? You must be joking! Alas, soon after the next E3 this year, its organizers decided on significant changes in the format. Even, rather, not to change, but to completely destroy what the exhibition was before. Instead of the daring game show, which served as the main guideline for the industry of the whole world, in 2007 they intend to hold a local event “only for their own people”, not resembling in any way the old magnificence of the “main game”. Naturally, immediately after the death of the exhibition, its numerous successors appeared, but they are unlikely to be able to rise to the transcendental level of the “old” E3.
      
      
      
      PhysX by Ageia
      
      At the end of last year, we had no doubt that PhysX technology would become an integral part of the industrial landscape. Alas, this did not happen - the creation of Ageia falls into our “disappointments of the year” for the second time in a row because of its inability to become truly massive. Yes, at KRI-2006, representatives of the company showed demonstrations depicting the advantages of the “physical accelerator”, yes, the number of games with PhysX support is growing, but ... a card with a unique chip still has to prove its necessity for the industry.
      
      
      
      Digital distribution
      
      Delivery of games via Internet channels bypassing stingy retailers is the main idea of ​​digital distribution. Alas, its distribution goes much slower than we would like. There are new services, Steam from Valve works with all its might, platform holders roll out their own online services one by one, but it's still far from a full-fledged delivery of games "by wire" - from purchase to download to the user's machine. In Russia, this process is slower than in the rest of the world, “thanks to” the slow spread of the Internet. So in 2007, as in the previous year, we will be putting out our money for traditional CDs and DVDs.
      
      
      
      UMD Video
      
      Sony is definitely out of luck with the formats. Throughout its history, it has invented more and more new media, but for various reasons, none of them can be called successful. In 2006, the format of Universal Media Disc Video (UMD-Video), which quietly died without the support of large film companies, became abreast of the memorable Betamax and MiniDisc. From the name “universal media disk” you can throw out the word “universal” - now the games almost exclusively come out on the UMD. Of course, the formal release of films on these discs, Sony will continue, but they are unlikely to ever be able to take a significant place among the video media.
      
      
      
      HD DVD and Blu-ray
      
      The two sworn enemies, the standards of the new generation of HD DVD and Blu-Ray, share one position in our 2006 disappointment compilation. Their distribution started late (the “blue ray” was especially difficult to launch) and goes with great difficulty - the reason is the high cost of the players and the small distribution of high-definition TVs. In addition, the past year has made it clear that the reconciliation of the two standards will not take place, and this does not bode well for consumers. Meanwhile, fans will say that judging by the history of Sony, Blu-Ray will lose the future “format war”.
      
      
      
      From the results of 2006, it is possible to draw certain conclusions and predictions for the next, and also hope that the giants will take into account their own mistakes and delight us with wonderful and affordable products.