Over the last few weeks, mainstream news outlets large and small have contributed plenty of page space to pondering “will the video games industry manage to thrive through the recession?” For the most part, pundits and columnists are answering that with various flavors of “yes.” But it’s still a kick to see a newspaper as established and respected (at least in finance circles) as the Financial Times give the industry a clean bill of health during these very uncertain times.
Unfortunately, it’s not all rosy for Sony. The fact is, Sony has its hands in a lot of businesses that AREN’T doing as well as our favorite pastime. And just like every other big corporation right now, they’ll have to trim quite a bit to stay competitive. That said, I think we’d all like to see them get a winner on the PSP in the ‘States this year, and give us all a reason to keep that system charged again.
On a similar note, EA indicated there will be further layoffs on the horizon, and put the brakes on their new Vancouver studio development tod
ay. I’m interpreting that as more of a cautionary move to protect the bottom line than a white flag. After all, they just announced they’ll be publishing Brutal Legend.
So EA at least has 2 nickels to rub together and deliver Tim Shaefer’s latest… and God bless them for it. The fact that they’re taking a flier on Legend, a new IP from an awesome-but-not-guaranteed-blockbuster developer, shows me that Legend must be worth it. Here’ hoping…
