NCSoft to develop for next-gen console(s).

[Shockeye]

NCsoft "actively developing" for consoles - but not Xbox 360

Rob Fahey 10:00 11/11/2005

TJ Kim confirms plans for leading MMORPG firm to move to consoles

Korea-based online gaming giant NCsoft is preparing to launch titles on next-generation consoles, according to chief executive Tack Jin Kim, who confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that development work is already underway.

The company, which is behind the world's largest massively multiplayer game series, Lineage, as well as titles including City of Heroes and Guild Wars, has until now focused exclusively on the PC platform.

However, Kim - who is founder and president as well as CEO of the firm - openly confirmed that the company is now "actively developing" for next-generation consoles, which he considers key to building the firm up in markets outside Korea.

NCsoft is already the largest gaming company in its native country, and its titles are proving a major draw at this week's G* games expo at the Kintex exhibition centre near the capital city, Seoul.

Kim did not discuss specifics of the company's development work on next-generation consoles, nor did he reveal which platforms the firm is working on - but sources close to NCsoft's European division revealed that Xbox 360 is not part of the company's plans at the moment, suggesting that the PS3 is the target platform for NCsoft's first console titles.

Speaking today at NCsoft's head offices in Seoul, Kim also confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that a European development location is part of the firm's plan for the future, joining the company's other development studios - NC HQ Studios in Seoul, Guild Wars creators Arena.Net in California and Richard Garriott's NC Austin Studio.

Looks like Vanguard has a corner on the 360 catass market for the time being.

[Venkman]

Ya know, I find it interesting that PCs have enjoyed something of a resurgence due to the money that can be made in MMOGs. However, I don't think this (the eighth) generation of consoles will be the big hit.

We know what the insertion of broadband is into the U.S.; however, I haven't found any statistics about the insertion of Wi-Fi in households yet. Unless people wire their consoles (possible if in a bedroom, less likely in a den, very less likely in a living room), the consoles may need broad adoption of Wi-Fi, even in their target demographic, for true success.

At the same time, if NC Soft just now announced focus on consoles, they're talking a few years from now anyway. Either the third-party add-on market works for this generation like it hasn't yet, Wi-Fi takes off like gangbusters, or they're taking PS4/XBox 720 ;)

[Nija]

That is very strange considering that a lot of NCSoft stuff uses the Unreal engine, and the xbox360 has epic onboard with great support for the newest unreal engine.

Maybe it's something to do with the CPU architecture but there seems to be plenty of stuff using the newest unreal engine on x360. Like Gears of War and Huxley.

[ahoythematey]

All signs point to revolution being WiFi ready out of the box and very easy to set up for online play, if the DS method is any indication.  I doubt NCSoft would prefer Nintendo's machine over Sony's, though.

[Trippy]

That is very strange considering that a lot of NCSoft stuff uses the Unreal engine, and the xbox360 has epic onboard with great support for the newest unreal engine.

Maybe it's something to do with the CPU architecture but there seems to be plenty of stuff using the newest unreal engine on x360. Like Gears of War and Huxley.

Unreal Engine 3 runs on the PS3 as well and in fact the UE3 PS3 tech demo was apparently one of the coolest demos at E3, particuarly since it was one of the few that was running in real-time on actual hardware.

[Margalis]

Considering that NCSoft is an Asian company and the XBox sold 5 copies in all of Asia it isn't really that surprising.

[schild]

this (the eighth) generation

Sweet christ. Was I asleep for 3?

NES Era -> Snes Era -> Playstation Era -> PS2 Era -> Next Gen

[Shockeye]

Pong -> Atari -> Atari 5200/7200?

[schild]

Pong -> Atari -> Atari 5200/7200?

You couldn't pay me to think of those as generations. I figured thats what he was getting at but it's damned stupid. Mass market penetration was meh. The technologies just simply weren't ready for primetime. Nintendo broke that barrier down. It was the real first consumer generation of home video gaming.

I would accept the argument of Arcade coming before the NES though.

[Shockeye]

To not recognize at least the Atari 2600 as a generation is silly. Stop being silly.

[Merusk]

To not recognize at least the Atari 2600 as a generation is silly. Stop being silly.

Or the ColecoVision.

[AOFanboi]

Or the ColecoVision.

Plus Intellivision, Vectrex, MSX... many waves.

[schild]

Not recognizing the Atari or Colecovision as precursors is silly, sure. But counting them as a generation? I just can't do that. The modern console era started with the Nintendo. In the annals of history the early shit would be recognized as a blip on the map. The Nintendo is the Archduke Francis Ferdinand of gaming. It's the first thing that made everything really take off. It was the true modern console. It was Jesus. Year 0.

[Shockeye]

Atari 2600 had enough "market penetration" to count as a generation.

The Odyssey not so much.

[Margalis]

Atari 2600 had plenty of popularity.

I would say the generations are:

Atari/Coleco/Intellivision
NES/Master System
SNES/Genesis/TG16
N64/Saturn/PS
GC/Dreamcast/PS2/XBox

Dreamcast is kind of a tweener.

[Abel]

It's a fact consoles started with Pong and Atari 2600 definatly deserves the first gen label. Many gamers, including me, started on that platform. Think Margalis has noted the generations down pretty accuratly.

They're even still in the news: Atari Invites Parents to Travel Back to the '70s (think you need to be registred at the Washington Post for this though)

[Shockeye]

Atari/Coleco/Intellivision
NES/Master System
SNES/Genesis/TG16
N64/Saturn/PS
GC/Dreamcast/PS2/XBox

Dreamcast is kind of a tweener.

N64/Saturn/PS/Dreamcast

Dreamcast is a trouble-maker.

[AOFanboi]

GC/Dreamcast/PS2/XBox

N64/Saturn/PS/Dreamcast

No, Margalis was right; Dreamcast is definitely in the PS2 generation. If you are discounting that, then it can be argued the PS2 doesn't belong in the same generation as the XBox and Gamecube.

[stray]

Here I thought Schild was generally more well rounded and appreciative of the past than many others his age  . I, at least, can distinctly remember the day I got a NES -- And it wasn't such a revolutionary kick off for me (Besides that, the SMS was better in every way.....Except exclusive rights). It was just a better version of what I had already been doing.

If anything, Nintendo did something with gaming that made it part of general/pop culture. It made gaming mainstream.....But then again, Pac Man probably did this way before Mario.

[Miscreant]

In the annals of history the early shit would be recognized as a blip on the map.

2600 sales: 30m      http://www.atariage.com/2600/?SystemID=2600
NES sales: 60m         http://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=nes     
Dreamcast sales: 10m     
PS2 sales: 74m
N64 sales: 32m
Xbox sales: 22m
Gamecube sales: 18m

Pretty big blip.  Just saying.

[Venkman]

Funny this sort of proves my point ;) In any case, among other places, this one provides a nice list.

[schild]

In the annals of history the early shit would be recognized as a blip on the map.

2600 sales: 30m      http://www.atariage.com/2600/?SystemID=2600
NES sales: 60m         http://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=nes     
Dreamcast sales: 10m     
PS2 sales: 74m
N64 sales: 32m
Xbox sales: 22m
Gamecube sales: 18m

Pretty big blip.  Just saying.

You just proved my point. It started with the NES (whose era includes the SMS and the 7800).

Soooooo

Generation 1: NES, SMS, 7800, Gameboy.
Generation 2: Genesis, SNES, a bunch of other shit.
Generation 3: PSX, Jaguar, 3D0, Gameboy Advance, and a bunch more shit.
Generation 4: Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Gameboy SP, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, NGage (Har, included for historical reasons - first cellphone/gaming system and won't be the last) etc.
Generation 5: Revolution, Xbox 360, PS3, and uhmmmm  probably a revamped PSP and definately a revamped Gameboy SP. I'd prefer a portable Gamecube.

[Velorath]

You just proved my point. It started with the NES (whose era includes the SMS and the 7800).

Soooooo

Generation 1: NES, SMS, 7800, Gameboy.
Generation 2: Genesis, SNES, a bunch of other shit.
Generation 3: PSX, Jaguar, 3D0, Gameboy Advance, and a bunch more shit.
Generation 4: Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Gameboy SP, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, NGage (Har, included for historical reasons - first cellphone/gaming system and won't be the last) etc.
Generation 5: Revolution, Xbox 360, PS3, and uhmmmm  probably a revamped PSP and definately a revamped Gameboy SP. I'd prefer a portable Gamecube.

You're as bad as the kids that think the Playstation was the first major console, and that no Final Fantasy games existed before VII.  Looking at those sales numbers, it seems like Nintendo and Microsoft would kill to have the Atari 2600's "meh"  market penetration right now.

[schild]

You just proved my point. It started with the NES (whose era includes the SMS and the 7800).

Soooooo

Generation 1: NES, SMS, 7800, Gameboy.
Generation 2: Genesis, SNES, a bunch of other shit.
Generation 3: PSX, Jaguar, 3D0, Gameboy Advance, and a bunch more shit.
Generation 4: Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Gameboy SP, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, NGage (Har, included for historical reasons - first cellphone/gaming system and won't be the last) etc.
Generation 5: Revolution, Xbox 360, PS3, and uhmmmm  probably a revamped PSP and definately a revamped Gameboy SP. I'd prefer a portable Gamecube.

You're as bad as the kids that think the Playstation was the first major console, and that no Final Fantasy games existed before VII.  Looking at those sales numbers, it seems like Nintendo and Microsoft would kill to have the Atari 2600's "meh"  market penetration right now.

Yea, if I thought Playstation was the first major console and Final Fantasy IV and VI weren't better than VII I might be one of those kids. Microsoft put a computer in a box. 8 Million more wouldn't have changed much. For Nintendo? They want their old numbers back, Atari wishes they had Nintendo's back in the day.

Also, what did the Atari compete against? The Intellivision? The more expensive Colecovision?

Even Atariage calls the 2600 the Godfather of modern video game systems rather than the great great grandfather. Two cans stuck together on string are not considered the 1st generation of modern telephones.

[Velorath]

Also, what did the Atari compete against? The Intellivision? The more expensive Colecovision?

Even Atariage calls the 2600 the Godfather of modern video game systems rather than the great great grandfather. Two cans stuck together on string are not considered the 1st generation of modern telephones.

I can't even tell what your point is any more.  Let me put it this way:  The Atari 2600 was a home video game system that allowed you to play video game catridges on your television.  It had over 200 titles, and apparently sold around 30 million units, selling better than many systems would do over 2 decades later.  Tell me why this doesn't count as a generation of video games. 

(Hint:  "The NES sold better" and "The NES had better graphics" are not valid answers as both also apply to the PS when compared to the NES but you don't claim the PS to be the first generation)

[Hoax]

Every once in awhile Schild is really wrong, but he never admits it, yet you people are content every time to argue for 3 pages with him knowing deep down it doesn't matter.  He is too stubborn to ever concede the point.

Just the way I see it sometimes...  much  and 

[Margalis]

Atari/Intellivision/Coleco were clearly a generation. I have an Atari and Coleco with probably 30 games between them - not just imagining that. And there are plenty of genres that originated in that generation. But yeah, Schild will never admit he is wrong, though he obviously is in this case.

[Righ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:First-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Second-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Third-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fourth-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fifth-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sixth-generation_video_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Seventh-generation_video_game_consoles

[schild]

I don't consider the 2600 the influence for beginning the home console market as we currently know it. That's all there is too it. The NES penetrated the market in a way the Atari never could have. They are single handedly responsible for bringing Sony into the market - who now have the largest number of consoles sold out of any system and in turn, Sony single handedly brought Microsoft into the market. Nintendo created that market. Atari may have made the market a possibility but they certainly aren't responsible for where we are now.

The Video game crash of 1983, however, produced a dark age in the market that was not filled until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) reached North America in 1987.

Wikipedia, in one sentence, explains why I think this way. I'm simply not that concise at the moment.

Edit: And as if it's kismet, Righ and I manage to prove that using wikipedia doesn't work. Thus negating an argument made by Bruce 8 months ago (about people using wikipedia for serious work).

[stray]

It's because they weren't Japanese, isn't it? 

[Righ]

We don't deny the value or influence of the Greek or Roman civilizations simply because we had 'dark ages' in which many cultures struggled for supremacy, leaving little record.

Righ and I manage to prove that using wikipedia doesn't work.

I did no such thing. Leave me out of your delusions. Wikipedia works exceptionally well because it is a living document born of peer review. Certainly, if you have far out, wacky views that are generally unsupported, it wont reference those views unless they have been published somewhere that one of the writers has had exposure to.

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=378141&rl=1
http://www.geekcomix.com/vgh/main.shtml
http://www.gamingw.net/articles/73

And so on. If you want people to subscribe to your view that video games began with NES, you need to do more than wave your hands around and say that contrary views prove the writers to be in error.

[Velorath]

I don't consider the 2600 the influence for beginning the home console market as we currently know it. That's all there is too it. The NES penetrated the market in a way the Atari never could have. They are single handedly responsible for bringing Sony into the market - who now have the largest number of consoles sold out of any system and in turn, Sony single handedly brought Microsoft into the market. Nintendo created that market. Atari may have made the market a possibility but they certainly aren't responsible for where we are now.

All I can say is that at least when Bruce said something batshit crazy it could be entertaining.

[stray]

I don't know how it could be counted as anything else other than the beginning of the console market. It was a convenient device that allowed people to play games without going to an arcade. What more is there to it than that? It was also widespread and could be purchased anywhere from Toys R Us to Sears (i.e. it wasn't some niche item that could only be purchased at conventions....like, say, the Altair), and could be found at thousands of people's homes in any given city. It was so popular that nobody could exactly be considered "special" for having one (the special kids were the ones with pools and trampolines). Hell, it even had it's own magazines, ala Nintendo Power.

[Sky]

I know I have a console bias, but people who think gaming began with the NES bug me. Nothing personal. I just remember all the retarded band followers playing Super Motherfuck Bros in the living room while a few of us huddled over my C64 playing Ultima 5. That's really where it all started...

The pong consoles were the first generation of home consoles. I had one, had an atari 2600, too.

[ahoythematey]

Back in the day I was busy preparing for our treadmill overlords with Dragon Warrior.  Secret of Monkey Island(CGA version with that fucking codewheel) holds a sacred place in my heart, but I still think the consoles of today began with the NES as their "year 0", with everything else Before Nintendo.  Everything else felt like incomplete personal computers.

Edited for one fucking letter making all the difference.