Industry Needs A 'New Generation Of Consoles,' Says Activision Vet

Activision's former EVP of Publishing Robin Kaminsky recently spoke out on the current state of the games market, noting that the industry needs a new generation of consoles to reignite the slowing retail games business. "Today’s traditional games market is in trouble," Kaminsky writes in an op-ed for IndustryGamers. "The retail packaged video game market is down and has been declining for 2 years. July 2011 was the worst month since October 2006 for U.S. retail game sales." "Many believe digital sales and the economy are the core drives of the decline. I believe a lack of innovation -- actual stagnation in game development -- is the real culprit," she continues. In order to overcome this stagnation, Kaminsky suggests that the industry needs a new generation of console hardware to spark new ideas and introduce new ways to play games. "For traditional games to grow, I believe a new generation of consoles is needed, consoles with real innovation and the resulting onslaught of new IP and innovative gameplay. Ideally these consoles will bring a breakthrough on how games are played or what kind of game experience can be delivered." "It cannot be just bigger, more complex games or yet higher definition graphics. The industry, both traditional publishers and the console makers themselves, need something different in the next cycle," she says. Earlier this year, Kaminsky joined the advisory board for the cloud gaming company Gaikai alongside former Sony and Atari exec Phil Harrison. She also holds executive positions at 1st Street Partners, Inc. and Rustic Canyon partners.