Coming into the spotlight a little over three years ago, ngmogo is the game developer behind such popular iPhone games like Dropship, Star Defense, We Farm and We Rule. Since then, the small developer has grown to provide games for the full range of iOS devices (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) and Android. With their bread and butter invested into mobile games for cellphones, it’s no surprise to hear ngmogo CEO Neil Young bash the upcoming handheld from Sony, the NGP. The CEO thinks that the NGP which previously was called the PSP2 will be “dead on arrival” because the system wont be able to keep up with the advances in the iOS and Android ecosystem. Of course, every time I hear random CEO’s taking a shot at their competitors, it’s because they need some attention or they actually know there is real competition coming.
“I think they are hurt; I think they’re clearly hurt,” Young said of the traditional portables from Sony and Nintendo. “I think PSP is done and the new [NGP] is dead on arrival. It’s really difficult to compete with an app store that has hundreds of thousands of applications and a wide range of options where the average price paid is around $1.20 and there are tens, if not hundreds of thousands of free applications that are really high quality. So I just don’t think Sony’s going to be able to compete with that.”
Of course the CEO also thinks that the soon to be released Nintendo 3DS is also gimmicky and will fall to none other then platforms that of course his company happens to develop for. Now Young does have a point that mobile games on smartphones are as cheap as $.99 cents but he forgets that the NGP is not targeting those consumers, the same way that the PlayStation 3 wasn’t targeting those random $15 plug in and play consoles you find at your local Walmart. Instead, Sony is going after those who want a rich gaming experience on the go with titles like Uncharted, Killzone and Resistance, all which are original games being created for the NGP. The PSN also offers Mini games that start as low as $4.99 which will help feed the need of those who want cheap and well Mini games on the go.
[Via IndustryGamers]