Interview: Is InstantAction's Future on Consoles?

IndustryGamers  recently spoke at length with new InstantAction CEO Lou Castle after we broke the news that he was leaving Electronic Arts. Castle talks about what went into his decision to join InstantAction and what strategy he has in place for the browser-based games company in this story, and now we're pleased to bring you the rest of our interview. We discussed the possibility of InstantAction on other platforms, the evolution of PC gaming, what he thinks about the motion-sensing trend, and more.

IndustryGamers:  The InstantAction technology hypothetically could work on consoles, especially those with browsers like PS3 and Wii. Are you looking at possibly moving beyond the PC/Mac platform for InstantAction? 

Lou Castle:  It's an interesting question. I would say it's probably a little too early for me to say definitively yes or no. I can say that I obviously have a lot of experience making console games as well as PC games over the years, and I have a lot of contacts at those companies. Right now, I would say that we – as a portfolio of games that exist today – don't have the right kind of offering for that audience, other than the games we've already created for consoles like the games for Xbox Live, stuff like Marble Blast. So the answer is just because it's on the web doesn't mean it belongs on a console necessarily even if the console's connected to the web. I'm a firm believer that you create an entertainment product for a very specific audience or market. Boom Blox aside, I suppose, since we made that one for [ages] 8-80, but that's pretty rare. Most of the time, you're making a product offering for a very specific type of consumer. So it's very exciting to have the Torque tools that work on the Xbox and have the ability to go across so many consoles, but right now I would say we're not pursuing having InstantAction be a portal that's on the Xbox system. I don't think that would be the most satisfying consumer experience – I think a custom experience would be better.

IG:  So how would you define the consumer audience for InstantAction? It's not the console audience, it's not necessarily the casual audience, and it doesn't seem like the hardcore PC gaming, build your custom rig audience...

LC:  Actually it is that one... 

IG:  Ok, I stand corrected.

LC:  So InstantAction as a technology and platform probably has a misimpression in the world right now because of the particular products that are on it. There was sort of an emotional and intentional effort to make games that were free-to-play and a little indie in the sense of their scope and their design, but those aren't the kinds of products I make. And with such a robust that can [utilize] so much of the performance of the machine, there is no reason for InstantAction as a platform not to have cutting edge games coming out right now. There's nothing holding us back really – the technology's already there. That's what I was talking about with our first pillar; we want to be a great place for [publishers] to put their current titles, not just the stuff that was created for casual players on the web. It is a bit of an everything kind of idea, but it's really focused in the sense that we just want to be a great publishing platform for people to use.   

IG:  So you're saying the InstantAction technology right now can run the latest high-end stuff, on the level of let's say Crysis, right in the web browser?

LC:  Absolutely. 

IG:  Interesting. So basically with the decline of PC gaming at retail and more publishers putting games out digitally on Steam and elsewhere, you can be a part of that and customers won't even have to download the full titles to play them.

LC:  Right now if somebody wanted to publish on InstantAction the very latest PC title coming out this year that used every ounce of processing power, they could partner with us and absolutely publish through the browser. And if it's a streaming-based game it makes it even easier. We're not in a position right now to announce those partners, but I think the world's going to be pretty surprised by what they see coming up [on InstantAction].  

As for PC gaming, this is one of those things that 26 years gives you in terms of perspective. I've watched so many times as people have wanted to put the pennies on the eyes, as it were, of PC gaming, and the reality is that the PC platform is ever evolving, ever changing platform that's highly democratized as it is. So it evolves much more rapidly – it doesn't require five years of R&D, a massive marketing campaign and a five-year life cycle to exist as a valid platform. It just constantly moves. People would say to me PC games are in decline, and I'd say, 'Really, have you added up all the MMO subscription dollars?' They say, 'No you have to take those out.' I say, 'Why? You're playing on a PC. Why take that out?' If you start adding those monies in, the PC doesn't look the same way. The PC is not dying and it never has been; it's just been changing. ... It's not really about the platform; it's about the fact that the gaming experiences and opportunities keep changing. And as you pointed out, with OnLive and other technologies, those have another way of completely breaking open the platform and making it different again.  So realistically, I don't think there's anything declining or dying about the PC, but there might be about the PC platform for very specific products delivered in a very specific way, but that's kind of ignoring the bigger picture. 

 IG:  Looking at the business model for InstantAction, you've had a lot of free-to-play stuff, which I suppose is supported by ads and micro-transactions, but going forward if you're putting out full PC releases, that would be a standard upfront, pay for the game model right?

 LC:  Yeah. Let me see if I can rephrase your question in a way that answers it. I think it's presumptuous to assume a pricing model when looking at a new business. I think it's appropriate in many ways for some games to be free-to-play, and in fact, the more the better, because it gives people an opportunity to decide whether or not they like the entertainment experience. It sure would be nice if I could walk into a theater and watch the first 5-10 minutes of a movie before I paid for it... But I think what's really exciting about this space and this platform is we're able to experiment with all the different types of pricing. One thing that's particularly interesting about the InstantAction platform is it has all of those monetization methods, as well as things like the offer systems where somebody can do things with their time and fill out reports and get back credits to use. 

So there are so many different ways to do commerce that we've already sorted out, and different ways in which we manage the marketing and the dollars that can be made from marketing in the games that it really does become one place where people can get to all these technologies and different pricing models. And frankly, the companies decide how they want to price their products. It's really not our decision in my mind to presume how somebody wants to price their game. If a developer out there wants to make a game that's free-to-play and support it through ads, bully for him. Or if they want to have a pay upfront, that's ok too. We're here to support any model that the publisher wants to use, even if they're an independent publisher.