3D is one of the hottest buzz words at the moment, both in Hollywood and in the games industry. While Avatar showed just how amazing 3D movies could be when the technology is used in a smart way, other studios have simply tacked on the 3D effects in post production (like Clash of the Titans). On the games side, we could see similar disparities emerge between finely constructed 3D efforts and poorly crafted experiences, warns EA CEO John Riccitiello.
As part of an in-depth pre-E3 interview exclusively with IndustryGamers, Riccitiello started by noting just how awesome 3D is. "First off, I will tell you that a great 3D game experience is a truly wonderful thing. I was playing a title we’ve got for fiscal 2012 in 3D yesterday up in Vancouver and it was definitely unbelievably cool," he said.
The problem is that 3D adoption is likely to be slow to start, and worse yet, some game makers may not give the 3D games the attention they deserve.
"I don’t think [3D is] going to be a big story this year for games; some particular titles are going to play it out. I am a little nervous that some game companies will put out poorly authored 3D content, sort of just put it together, because look, all games, most nearly all games are 3D already. It doesn’t take that much to separate, you know, two and a half inches and sort of redraw the entire frame and have it run through any of the various polarization or the primary blinking system between the right and left eye. It’s quite a different thing to author it in such a way that the “Z-dimension,” the third dimension, is really well done. When it’s not really well done, it’s a new kind of headache that you haven’t ever experienced," he stated.
Riccitiello continued, "So I’m actually a little afraid this year that we’re going to get less than well-authored content and it’s going to be one of those stories: video games give me a migraine. I think that over time, probably in the course of 2011, 2012, the strongest publishers will author some great content, the installed base will be there, and there will be a good positive growth spurt. I just don’t think it will be this year."
