Epic president addresses hopes for next-gen consoles

Between the Gears of War series and Unreal Tournament III, Epic Games has seen success in the $60 game business during the current generation of consoles, but company president Mike Capps feels that other models are also important going forward. In an interview with Develop, Capps outlined current issues in the console space.

One area where Capps hopes platform holders will evolve is at the marketplace end of the business. He also stressed that console manufacturers need to allow for "double-A" games at price points less than $60.

"[Consoles] need to be able to do something where small virtual items can be sold and bought for 20 cents without a long certification process and a price approval process," said Capps. "The best way of driving developers to PC is telling them they have no freedom in what prices they can set for virtual items."

In addition to marketplace issues, Epic's president feels next-generation systems face an uphill battle on the technical front. "I think it’s very important that a gamer sees an Xbox Next or PlayStation Next and can clearly see the tech is not possible on current consoles. Otherwise they won't be a success. And that's a very tall order," said Capps.

Staying on the topic of hardware, Capps said that Epic has attempted to influence console makers in what kind of functionality will be in the next-gen consoles. He also said the level of quality displayed in the Samaritan demo (below) is what "gamers should be demanding for next generation."