HomeNewsFeaturesJobsCareer FairEducationResourcesMobile

GDC: Molyneux despairs at "tragic" state of PC gaming

Warcraft, The Sims "sucking the air out of PC market," says Lionhead boss

Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has said that the PC gaming market is in a tragic state, with two blockbusters hogging sales and stagnation in the casual market.

Speaking in an interview to our sister site Eurogamer.net, to be published later this week, Molyneux was sharing his views on the current PC market following comments made by Epic's Cliff Bleszinski that it is in âdisarrayâ.

"I think it's a huge tragedy. I mean, you might as well say PC gaming is World of Warcraft and The Sims... The weird thing is everyone's got a PC, they're just not buying software for it," commented Molyneux.

And while many developers are chasing the casual PC gaming market as the next big thing, Molyneux believes it's already suffering from repetition and a lack of imagination.

"There's an enormous amount of gaming happening with PopCap, Big Fish and Reflective.

"The fascinating thing is when they first started, all these games came out like Peggle and Mystery Files and Alice Greensleeves and Diner Dash, and it felt quite exciting. There was a lot of innovation going on. Okay, there weren't great graphics, but there was innovation.

"In my view, that has completely stopped. They're doing the same game over and over again with a different wrapper. It's like a mini-universe in itself which is emulating what's happening in our industry," he added.

"The second thing is, you've got The Sims and World of Warcraft sucking all the air out of the PC market. It's just incredible," he said.

The full interview with Peter Molyneux will be published on Eurogamer.net later this week.

Comments

To comment on this article, or view other users comments, you need to register for the GamesIndustry.biz Network.


In Related News

Lionhead Studios

Molyneux honoured with French knighthood

Molyneux to speak at new London games event

Molyneux and Eggebrecht to address GCDC

Newsletter Signup

Sign up to the FREE GamesIndustry Newsletter and receive a comprehensive round-up of industry news and info.


GamesIndustry.biz is the world's most read and influential games industry website. But don't just take our word for it!

"In this industry, you have to have reliable, up-to-date, daily news and information. GamesIndustry.biz is by far the best source for the games industry. It’s grown in stature over the years and really is the pre-eminent site. It’s a highly effective way to market to the trade. I recommend it highly."

Rob Cooper

Latest announcements courtesy of GamesPress
  • 7h
    ago
    Operation Mania - Board-game-based surgery sim available next month.
  • 8h
    ago
    BeanstalkGames.com - We smell the blood of a family-friendly games portal.
  • 8h
    ago
    Perimeter 2: New Earth - New trailer up for grabs.
  • 8h
    ago
    Coyote's Tale: Fire and Water - First in a series of hidden-oject casual games from Siberia's GO! Games.
  • 9h
    ago
    Jolt/Rustlers deal - CoD 4 and Counter-Strike Source tournaments launched, with prizes including cash, hardware, kitchen appliances and - here's a first - microwavable food.
  • 9h
    ago
    Mister Slime - DS adventure puzzler on sale in the States now.
  • 9h
    ago
    Hansoft - Selected by EVE Online boys CCP to manage their projects.
  • 9h
    ago
    Circulate Prologue - 30-level taster of rotating board puzzler available for iPhone and iPod touch for 0.79.
  • 10h
    ago
    Xbox LIVE - Horror/comedy pilots from well-known film makers available for free on Xbox 360s this autumn.
  • 10h
    ago
    Football SuperStars - Teaser video launched for online footie game.