Atari's Chief Surfer
Atari chief executive Bruno Bonnell said the Xbox 360 is a "super telephone," the PlayStation 3 a "muscle car" and the Nintendo Wii a "wonderful toy."
The company is in difficult financial times, and there is no surefire hit in sight for these guys. But it had the most pleasant place to hang out at the show, a dimly lit space off the show floor decorated to look like a Moroccan marketplace -- I was told this theme was a symbol of the company's plan to get "back to the basics," though I still don't quite get it.
Conversations with Bonnell can be the highlight of an E3 visit, though I didn't learn much this time, except that the guy is really into metaphors this year. Atari is a "cat with nine lives" and a "surfer" that will navigate the turbulent waters of this tricky game console transition period. The company's announcement that it will cut the price of its games to $20 will test the validity of those metaphors.
By
Bob Greiner
|
May 11, 2006; 10:13 PM ET
| Category:
E3: Off Screen
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Posted by: M. Mortazavi | May 12, 2006 2:24 AM
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I'm also hearing from other sources that games on mobile phones and devices are even a greater focus of attention this year at E3. I'm not there but I imagine this analysis to be capturing a significant trend. I've not read much in your blogs looking into this -- What's happening with games on mobile devices?