Besides all these popular, long-running franchises, is Eidos also working on new IP and will we see any of them this year?
Yes, we are certainly working on new IP, but they won’t be ready for this year. We have a reputation for great single player character-based games and now we have to bring diversity to our portfolio. You cannot ignore the rise of online multiplayer because it is a huge market; the number of people playing Call of Duty or FIFA online is extraordinary, and that market is only going to get bigger.
There is this growing trend of studios focusing more on the console versions of their games, while the PC versions are delayed or poorly ported, or both in some cases. What do you personally make of this, and what is Eidos’ position?
Unfortunately, there’s been a decline in PC gaming in the West. By that I mean a decline in action games and adventure games on PC. People who want that experience have moved to console. So the types of games that are being played on PC are MMOs, browser-based RPGs, and free-to-play Flash games. As for action games, that’s been on a bit of a decline on PC, so for us as a company, that’s not our focus. Our focus is on consoles. At the same time, PC versions of our games have to be at par with their console counterparts, otherwise we won’t release them.
Most of your franchises are targeted at serious male gamers in their teens and twenties. Do you now plan to focus a bit more on the casual side of it?
I don’t think we’ll be focusing on the casual side; but we will be focusing on the social side. Social gaming has risen largely because of Nintendo, so rather than games just being played by teenage boys in their bedrooms, they’re now being played by the entire family in the living room. Bringing in a social aspect and being able to play a game with others increases the enjoyment of a game, and you can’t ignore that. So we’re going to focus on social gaming, both online and offline.
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There’s a lot more emphasis now on downloadable games, on consoles as well as handheld devices. Is this an area Eidos is looking to explore?
Indeed. We’re already doing downloadable content for some of our games, but we’re also developing games specifically for download. It’s not just the consoles, but also the iPhone. And it’s a great way for developers to get into the industry as well because the costs of development are quite low. So these are exciting times because with the popularity of digital distribution, it also makes it easier to developers to get their games out there.
There’s also this trend of post-release downloadable content (DLC) being made exclusive to a single platform; DLC for Tomb Raider: Underworld was exclusive to the Xbox 360. From a developer or publisher’s point of view, what’s the reasoning behind such exclusivity?
To be honest, I don’t know why that was done. I think it was a commercial reason, where there was a relationship with Xbox that wasn’t there with Sony.
What advice would you give to upcoming developers?
Well, I started out with Dungeons and Dragons at Games Workshop. We didn’t own the IP; we just had a three-year distribution deal. At the end of that deal, we had to either renew it or lose it. So I realised that you can only build real value into your company if you have your own intellectual property. When you own your content, you can determine your own destiny. That’s what I’ve carried on with Eidos in creating our own IP, because that gives you power, strength, and value, not only to make money from that directly through publishing, but also leveraging that IP through merchandising and licensing. So I recommend to everyone that as soon as they can, they should do their own thing; not just create their own IP, but hang on to it. Many companies become work for hire, and it’s okay for a bit, but there’s no value in that. They can lose that job tomorrow.
How do you see the Indian market as it stands today; not for game development, but on the consumer side?
Currently, there are some challenges. Hardware platforms are very expensive here, software is still quite expensive, there’s not a lot of disposable income, and there’s unstable broadband internet. Also, I don’t think games are viewed very positively here, and that takes time. I’ve been whinging to media and government (in the UK) for many years about the positive impact of gaming. It’s not just about violence. If you look at the facts, only 3 per cent of games in the UK carry an 18+ rating. Most of them are fit for consumption by people of all ages. But the media always tends to focus on the violent games, but they don’t see that violent games are okay for mature users because not all films are for children and not all books are for children. This is a mature concept for mature users. So it takes time to become socially acceptable, to have broadband in place for downloads and online multiplayer, for hardware manufacturers to realise that this is going to be an important market going forward and that they should reduce the prices to make the hardware more affordable.
Which are the games that you usually play?
I’ve always been a Championship Manager fan. I support Manchester City so I have this fantasy that they’re going to win something for once. They never do, but it’s fun trying that and from a cerebral point of view, I like that challenge. I enjoy Fable; Fable 2 was a great RPG. If I’m traveling, I’ll play something like Professor Layton on my DS, and I love playing Guitar Hero with my kids. So it all depends on the mood and situation.
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