10 Times The Games Industry Had No Idea WTF It Was Doing
1. Thinking Consoles Were Dead
Believe it or not there was a time, in the twilight of the Xbox 360 generation, where everybody thought that games consoles were dead. With the popularity of Steam and the decline in console sales, you couldn't move for think-pieces and op-eds about the imminent death of console gaming.
More of a problem was that it seemed as though the people who made the consoles themselves thought the same thing. Perhaps believing that the time of dedicated gaming machines was up, Microsoft attempted to appeal to everyone by creating an all-in-one entertainment system that focused on TV, film and streaming as much as it did video games.
For some reason nobody seemed to realise that the decline in console and game sales might have been more to do with a stagnant market than anything else.
With one of the longest gaming generations ever and nothing but a sea of sequels hitting shelves, players weren't buying anything because they were clamouring for something new.
Obviously the 'death of consoles' fear-mongering was silenced when Microsoft and Sony dropped new machines in 2013, with the PS4 being a ridiculous success and even the much-maligned Xbox One outpacing the sales of the 360.
Since then both companies have returned to a games-centric approach, and it's clear that consoles are here to stay.