As the video game market continues to evolve there’s once again talk about the viability of console gaming. In the same interview with Eurogamer, ex-PlayStation boss Shawn Layden shared his thoughts about this topic.
While he has raised alarm about the whole “Xbox versus PlayStation” console market and believes it’s important to question the purpose of these systems going forward, in terms of Nintendo’s future, he doesn’t appear to be quite as concerned. As he mentions, Nintendo operates within its “Own Private Idaho” nowadays:
EG: Can consoles continue to exist, long-term? Xbox is already publishing to multiple platforms, and now rival consoles. Will PlayStation survive another 30 years just publishing on its own consoles and PC? Will Nintendo?
Shawn Layden: “Let’s put Nintendo aside for a second, because they live in their Own Private Idaho, where the laws of physics apply in different sorts of ways. But with Xbox versus PlayStation, the Ali versus Frazier fight… Frankly, we have to start interrogating what the purpose is of a proprietary console, and whether that can continue to be true.”
Nintendo’s success is credited to its adoption of the blue ocean strategy – allowing it to tap new markets and widen its audience through innovation and other factors like price point, rather than focusing on a console arms race like its competitors.
After the GameCube generation, Nintendo applied this strategy during the Wii and DS era. The Switch also redefined console gaming with its hybrid capabilities and the Wii U paved the way for this vision.
