Console MMO market is ‘up for grabs’

While the MMO market is wonderfully saturated on PCs, creators of pay-to-play experiences have given home consoles a wide berth. Hubert Thieblot, CEO of Curse, views this as a huge opportunity, and fully believes that consoles could open up the market and expand it threefold. 

“I’m personally really looking forward to console MMOs, because when you think about it, if 50% of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners are online, that means that there are nearly 35 million next-gen consoles able to run an MMO now,” he said, trying to wipe the drool from his mouth. “That’s already three times bigger than the PC MMO market — the hardcore PC market. I’m really looking forward to seeing who is going to take the MMO market on console, because that spot is available right now.”

The untapped potential is certainly there, but I don’t think developers are avoiding consoles out of personal preference. Microsoft’s Xbox Live subscription service is a direct conflict of interest, and Microsoft seems intent on cockblocking MMOs until it works out how it can get a share of the profits. Sony seems more open, but it’s lagging behind on the online front with a PSN that’s in dire need of an overhaul. 

An explosion of console MMOs will definitely happen, but until all the red tape and nonsense is cleared away, it could be a while. In the meantime, we all have Final Fantasy XIV to look forward to. Who knows? It might be the start of a huge drive toward consoles.

Console MMO space ‘up for grabs’ – Curse [GI.biz]