Industry analysts say local online PC game developers should try to make inroads in TV games, as major video-game operators such as Sony and Microsoft are seeking to increase their game titles with the rollouts of new consoles next year.
Sony Corp announced that it will unveil its next-generation console, referred to as PlayStation 3 -- an advanced version of its popular PlayStation 2 -- next year. Microsoft Corp plans to introduce its Xbox 2 as well, while Nintendo Co also has a similar plan to bring new game devices to the market.
"The three companies are keen to increase their game titles and shift the battlefield to the online market, so local game providers should grab the opportunity to form partnerships with them and tap the TV game market," Lin Yu-sheng (
The center issued a report yesterday on the outlook for the nation's PC gaming industry.
The report said the market for the industry will reach NT$9.9 billion this year, a 12 percent increase from last year.
With game developers' expertise in developing and marketing online PC games in Asia, they are well suited to be original design manufacturers (ODMs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for these TV game operators, Lin said.
Lin also said game companies should jointly set up a game portal to enhance gamer traffic and spending -- a business model that has proven fairly successful for South Korean game providers.
Industry insiders, however, said the institute's advice is not really viable.
"We've been in touch with Sony and Microsoft for a long time regarding integrating PC games and TV games, but there are still technical obstacles out there ... I don't think these hurdles can be removed by next year," said Vera Wu (
Before the cross-platform technology matures, her company will focus on expanding the PC game market in Taiwan, as well as in the huge Chinese market, Wu said.
The nation's largest online game provider, Soft-World International Corp (
As for forming a united game portal, both firms noted that game providers have established their own subscription models, which will not be changed for now because of technical difficulties.
The MIC report also includes an analysis of the nation's online music market, which it estimates will see sales of less than NT$100 million this year.
"Currently, local consumers prefer P2P [peer-to-peer] file-sharing instead of the pay-per-download model as is the case of Apple Computer Inc's iTunes Music Store," said MIC analyst Hung Chuen-huei (
"As a result, the online music market is estimated to be less than NT$100 million this year," Hung said.
Taiwan's online music distributors that legally obtain copyrights from record labels include iBIZ Entertainment Technology Corp (
The three have seen little business as the market is dominated by file-sharing Web sites such as kuro.-com.tw (
"The nation's online music industry can hardly prosper before the P2P disputes are solved," Hung said.
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