Simulations a dying breed... No says Paradox Interactive
 

Simulations a dying breed... No says Paradox Interactive (publisher of East India Company & Ship Simulator Extremes), they may be right it was recently announced by Ubi the SH series had collectively sold over 1.5 million copies, whilst this doesn't compare to the GTAs of this world these are apparently healthy numbers for niche markets like simulations.

I believe it when I see it. The dying thing that is. Few years back, they said PC gaming was dying, point+click adventure games were dying (they might be on life support, but they arent dead yet!:stare:) and yaadiyaa.

Well it certainly looks like it is still a profitable area otherwise Ubisoft wouldn't be working on SH5 and I know the Ship Simulator is very good because my son has them both.

Well they better do better than the previous ship simulator or they will be dead :rotfl:

The east india trading co. is a title I have been considering however my disposable income is pre-disposed.

I dont think the simulator market is 'dead' but it is at best a niche albeit a large one.

But the signs point to a decline... Microsoft Train simulator (dead), Microsoft Flight simulator (in a coma), Microprose (dead and buried), the list goes on.

I really hope for strong success for UBI and their upcoming title. Maybe it will show the gaming industry that there is still a profitable market in this 'niche'.

Yeah baseless rumors propagated by console companies who would love to see the death of a competitor.

On Microprose...
I actually think Microprose failed because they moved away from simulation and over reached themselves.

On Microsoft...
Microsoft on the other hand I think actually want to kill off PC gaming all together in favour of the XBOX. They buy out good PC gaming studios and spoil them as highlighted just today here. Then they start the "Games for Windows Live" initiative a buggy and ill-supported pile of poo that has all but killed off the fledgling "Battlestations Pacific".

Since ten years now I get told that simulations are dying.

Falcon 4. Steel Beasts Pro. Flight Simulator. Sub Command/Dangeorus Waters. Silent Hunter. Armed Assault. Plius many strategy and tactics simulations.

Rumour says Falcon 5 is under secret developement since longer time. Verified is that there will be Silent Hunter 5, and evident it is that Steel Beasts gets constantly improved.

adding all this together, there is more then I can reasonably play!

What Skybird said. :DL

I'm going through the Janes back catalogue at the minute.
And DID
And Sierra

And finally taking the time to play Allied Force properly.

Simulators will not die. There is always a new gaming engine, new graphics, new way to play. SH5 is just such an example. As long as new ways to play and new ways to visualize, simulation will grown. Hell, we are still waiting on motion seats for our games. I mean real good motion seats. Imagine in rough seas in SH your seat rolling to the water swells! Really, true simulation for the common person like you and me has not reached it peak at all.

I don't think the simulation market is any smaller than it was back a few years ago, I think this impression that simulators are 'dead' is because the recent influx of the unwashed masses into the gaming world has made mindless shooters and the like more profitable, but there are still quite a lot of people who play simulations and other...err...unpopular game genres (Paradox demonstrates this best).

Exactly Mookie, the visual experience is there but the physical has not been touched. :03:

Simulations are ussually made not for kids. Shooters, arcade, racing games are toys for kids deffinetly. But they won't be kids forever and I think with the age, the taste for games also changes, that is when it's a time for starting to know the simulations. :yep:

PC gaming better never die. I hate consoles and their clumsy controls.

Agreed. I'll take a keyboard and mouse over a controller any day.