Right now, our gaming industry is in a curious place. There are many things, and many people, in “flux,” if you will. Specifically, there are video game developers and publishers who are either doing really well and are thriving in the current environment, and then, there are those who are floundering, continually making bad moves, and getting dangerously close to either having to shut down or change who they are fundamentally. Yoshi-P is part of Square Enix, a publisher that has undergone numerous changes recently itself. However, he’s focused solely on his games that he’s helped make and is trying to figure out the best way to get them to as many people as possible.
To that end, you may have heard the game maker talk to played like Feed4Gamers about why he’s trying to make certain titles “more accessible” to players and why certain new consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 could help with that. But, in that same interview, he also called out the potential issue that’s about to drop via new systems coming from Sony and Microsoft sooner rather than later.
For those who don’t recall, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S both came out in 2020, and are both about to celebrate their 5-year anniversary. Typically, the console cycle would last between 6 and 8 years, depending on the system. However, there are some outside factors here that need to be considered, not the least of which for Microsoft is that the Xbox Series X/S has been tanking in sales, and “something fresh” may be what they feel is needed to get “back on track.”
However, in the mind of Yoshi-P, that’s not the way to go, especially when you think not about the developers making the console and its games, but the gamers who are buying it:
“There is no real need to make new hardware, because I think right now people are happy with the Xbox Series X, the PS5, and the Switch 2.”
“Happy” might be a stretch for two of those systems, but the point stands. If new systems were to come out right now, it would be a very costly endeavor to get, only for a few games to be available on them. The Switch 2 is different because it has the entire OG Switch library accessible on it. Another thing to consider is the global tariffs, which have already affected the prices of the X/S and the PS5.
So, like he said, there’s no need for new consoles if they’re going to be too expensive to buy in the first place.
