ngmoco’s Ben Cousins says the death of console gaming is officially happening

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard someone claim that the end of  the console era is at hand, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. Ben Cousins, head of ngmoco’s Stockholm office, says that the slow death of console gaming has already begun.

Death, though, is probably too harsh a term for what Cousins actually means when he says this. At this year’s Game Developers Conference, he clarified his statement by saying that although the platform probably won’t disappear entirely, the market share for consoles will likely significantly decrease, and will be unlikely to bounce back. And, of course, Cousins cites the explosion in mobile gaming as the catalyst.

I believe that mobile devices and mobile platforms are the disruptive technologies that are going to cut a slice through the Western market.

Cousins also says that consumers clearly want a gaming platform that is cheaper and more convenient, and that’s where smartphones and tablets come in.

Personally, I believe that the ball is entirely in the courts of the game developers. We’ve been seeing a lot of potential lately in the games being released for iOS, especially on the iPad, in both the quality of gameplay and the graphics. Will that be enough to make the console gamers put down their controllers and pick up a mobile device? I don’t know, but something tells me it won’t be long before we find out.

Via: Gamesutra

Elle is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. The time she doesn't spend writing is often spent photographing her cat.