Vivendi Games boss downplays transition impact
The console transition which is widely expected to seriously impact the growth of the market this year is "not as challenging for Vivendi Games as it is for our rivals," Vivendi Games CEO Bruce Hack has told GamesIndustry.biz.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, which you can read on the site today, Hack said that the diversification of the firm's divisions to cover PC, online and mobile gaming meant that Vivendi Games would continue to enjoy solid performance despite the difficulties in the console market.
Blizzard's World of Warcraft was fingered as a particularly key factor which would allow the firm to grow through transition, with Hack highlighting it as "a very high recurring source of profits for the company."
World of Warcraft is "not just cushioning for the transition, meaning allowing earnings growth, but it's also allowing deeper investment by Blizzard itself and by the other divisions at Vivendi Games in the future," he explained.
On the topic of the next-generation consoles, and the challenges posed by disruptive technology such as Nintendo's Wii, Hack was enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by the divergent strengths of the three next-gen consoles.
"This [diversity] means, to a publisher, Opportunity with a capital O," he commented. "It means a palette for a greater amount of innovation and creativity. We don't fear it - quite the contrary, we face the risk and seek it."