Konami thinks online arcade games will boost sales
Connectivity. It’s one of the catchphrases for the 21st century, and there’s at least one industry that’s banking on it to boost their sales this year: the arcade gaming scene.
Konami expects arcade equipment sales to rise as a result of new innovations in arcade gaming, namely increased connectivity between the usually-static nature of the arcade rig and the flow of data found on the internet and in mobile phones. According to Katsunori Okita, Konami‘s arcade games head, the machines will “not only change the way games are played, but also appeal to a new audience of players, such as women and the elderly.”
He continues by expounding on the current problems with arcade gaming, likening them to the problems console makers are having in pushing their consoles out to the public. As Okita notes,
While we are facing many of the same difficulties as the console makers in trying to attract new users, trying our games only costs 100 yen… The difficult part is making the customers come back.
Some of the said games include GI-Horsepark, a racehorse-breeding sim, and Baseball Heroes, a baseball coaching sim. Connectivity in these two cases allow players to check their rankings and modify character visuals online through a PC or their mobile phone.
While the current revolution and trend in Japanese gaming lies in using cards as saving mechanisms and actual game pieces, this should prove to be a rather lucrative step if played right. We wouldn’t mind seeing an online arcade MMO, ourselves. What do you want to see?
Connectivity. It’s one of the catchphrases for the 21st century, and there’s at least one industry that’s banking on it to boost their sales this year: the arcade gaming scene.
Konami expects arcade equipment sales to rise as a result of new innovations in arcade gaming, namely increased connectivity between the usually-static nature of the arcade rig and the flow of data found on the internet and in mobile phones. According to Katsunori Okita, Konami‘s arcade games head, the machines will “not only change the way games are played, but also appeal to a new audience of players, such as women and the elderly.”
He continues by expounding on the current problems with arcade gaming, likening them to the problems console makers are having in pushing their consoles out to the public. As Okita notes,
While we are facing many of the same difficulties as the console makers in trying to attract new users, trying our games only costs 100 yen… The difficult part is making the customers come back.
Some of the said games include GI-Horsepark, a racehorse-breeding sim, and Baseball Heroes, a baseball coaching sim. Connectivity in these two cases allow players to check their rankings and modify character visuals online through a PC or their mobile phone.
While the current revolution and trend in Japanese gaming lies in using cards as saving mechanisms and actual game pieces, this should prove to be a rather lucrative step if played right. We wouldn’t mind seeing an online arcade MMO, ourselves. What do you want to see?