PC Gaming Not Dead, But Changing

Now that the “PC gaming is not dead” bandwagon has been jump-started, it’s time for Eurogamer/GameIndustry.biz to hop on.

Epic Games’ decision to focus on console platforms rather than the PC, as revealed this week by Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski, will come as a blow to hardcore PC gamers – but it’s not exactly a surprising move.

Rather, it’s merely confirmation of a shift in priorities at the developer that has been evident for several years, and as such it’s important not to overstate the importance of the news when considering the future of the PC gaming market. Epic’s transition to console development has been a lengthy process, fuelled in no small part by copious assistance and incentives from Microsoft and Sony – for whom having the firm’s best-of-breed engine technology available to developers on their platforms is a vital step.

While Bleszinski’s description of PC gaming as being in “disarray” no doubt hints at some part of the firm’s decision to focus on consoles, this move is as much about business partnerships as it is about creative decisions. The PC’s benefits as an anarchic, free access platform are balanced by the lack of a real champion for PC gaming.