99-cent apps are "killing" the game industry, says Epic Games president Mike Capps, during a time when Epic has "never been so uncertain" about the future of traditional game makers.
99-cent apps are "killing" the game industry during "an uncertain time", says Epic Games president Mike Capps. Talking to Industry Gamers, Capps explained that Epic's future in the industry has never been as frightening as it is right now. "We have not been this uncertain about what's coming next in the games industry since Epic's been around for 20 years," he admitted. "We're at such an inflection point." While it used to be taken as a given that the PlayStation 3 would follow on the PS2's massive success, the future of the industry is now incredibly unclear, Capps said. "Will there be physical distribution in 10 years or even five? Will anyone care about the next console generation? What's going on in PC? Can you make money on PC if it's not a connected game? What's going on in mobile? Tons of really scary things," he said. Although Epic Games' action-RPG Infinity Blade became the fastest-grossing app on the App Store last year, generating over $1.6 million in sales in the four days following its release, Capps sees 99-cent games on the App Store as a threat. "If there's anything that's killing us, it's dollar apps," he said. "How do you sell someone a $60 game that's really worth it ... They're used to 99 cents." "As I said, it's an uncertain time in the industry. But it's an exciting time for whoever picks the right path and wins" he concluded.
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