Developers discuss what they want out of next-gen systems

In a feature on Gamasutra, various high-profile developers have discussed what they wish to see from next-gen systems. Epic game founder Tim Sweeny participates in the discussion, as does Capcom's Christian Svensson, Carl Jones, Crytek's director of global business development, Carl Jones, and DICE GM Karl-Magnus Troedsson among others.

Here's a blurb from each:

Tim Sweeney, founder of Epic Games: "To be able to easily buy and download games on future consoles as we do in the iOS App Store would be really valuable to us as developers, and make it easier to get our games out without an over-reliance on manufacturing a whole bunch of pieces of spinning plastic that we'd ship to consumers."

Carl Jones, Crytek director of global business development: "I think that'd be really helpful [if the consoles were more open], because certainly we're seeing a change in models in games toward more freemium content, and a quicker response to your community. You can be very successful with a game by giving a game away for free, and then giving players the content they want. And if they really want it, and are really enjoying it, that's when they'll pay for it. That's appropriate. Why shouldn't we do it like that?"

Christian Svensson, SVP at Capcom: "I'll tell you something I'm hoping for. I'm hoping for a much more fluid means of providing updates to consumers, being able to have a much more rapid turnaround in between when content is submitted and when content goes live to consumers, to provide a higher level of service to them. I'm hoping that the networking and the processes in the future are built with that in mind."

Anne Blondel-Jouin, managing director at Nadeo: "I have no clue about [console makers' exact plans]. So far we are looking with much interest at what Microsoft is doing with Windows 8 and DirectX 11. That's something we're interested in, as we're still PC-oriented. ... If the other [console] platforms were becoming as open as a PC is, then yes, we'd be very much interested, because the more players we can reach, the better. Trackmania and Shootmania and Maniaplanet are based on how many players are coming, how big the 'fiesta' is. We would need to get as close as possible to our players. Consoles have rules, and they're great rules, and they're rules to make their businesses work. We have nothing against consoles, but so far, we want as much freedom as possible for the players, and the only platform allowing that right now is PC, so we're still PC."

David Polfeldt, Ubisoft Massive managing director: "To help us be a better developer, the consoles would have to be more similar between each other than they are today. Now, the difference is too big between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. So you really, really need to make two games, actually. That's the way we feel. It's extremely cumbersome, and the result is that they look the same. So that would be a huge leap forward, and we could spend more time making the game fun, or making more sexy features, rather than just adapting the tech. The second thing is that the new consoles should be connected all the time, 24 hours, so we know they're there, and we can do things with them."

You can read the full feature through the link.