If the game industry is expecting the "wow power" of sizzling graphics to fuel next-generation game sales, they ought to think again. Having walked the aisles of last week"s E3 trade show, Jason Rubin proclaimed the transition to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) games the "beginning of the end of cool graphics as the primary driver of video game purchases." Rubin was formerly co-president of developer Naughty Dog, best known for the award-winning "Crash Bandicoot" and "Jak and Daxter" series. Now he is president of recently formed entertainment company MorganRose, a member of the advisory board of the Game Developers Conference, and a frequent speaker at industry gatherings. HollywoodReporter.com columnist Paul Hyman had Rubin de-brief him on his three days at E3, and the always-opinionated Rubin graciously complied with his thoughts on why he"s finding next-gen ho-hum, how publishers may be getting smarter about licensed IP, and the buzz at the show from developers.
Worth reading if you"re interested in what"s going on behind the scenes in the game industry.