"Console games can be a lower risk" in many cases, says Retro City Rampage creator

Retro City Rampage creator Brian Provinciano has detailed his career so far, and his success on consoles. He has suggested that console games need not be as risky a proposition as they first appear in a new talk.

Speaking at a GDC China session, Provinciano suggested that consoles aren't as fraught with danger as they appear from a distance, in comparison to the 'risk-free' notion of the mobile market today.

As reported by Gamasutra, Provinciano began, "I've been very successful in console, and I haven't touched mobile yet. I feel in many cases that console games can be a lower risk."

On the benefits of releasing on consoles he added, "You have a higher price point, and there's less saturation, and players expect a game of higher quality. You also have more control over your launch promotion. You can figure out what week to launch your game, what kind of promotion... and you have higher probability of strong store placement because you're already working with those platform managers."

Provinciano cautioned that often, indies focus purely on development of their game and nothing else, without giving thought for what will happen if the game fails, or other costs that may be incurred. On that note, he said of Retro City Rampage's development, "One full year was spent on everything else, from business and production, to contracts, insurance, office space, the list goes on.

"These are all the things that most developers don't think about. They don't realize how important marketing is, or how important PR is. They never get to it because of other things that come up."

What do you think? Can the console market prove viable to indies who play it smart, or is mobile and PC still the place to be? Let us know what you think below.

Via Polygon.