BRIEFLY:
* Only a handful of Windows 95 games are now on the market
* Some companies are focusing on selling
* It will take time before the masses upgrade to the new operating system.
Redmond, Wash.--Although Windows 95 is being touted as the operating system for PCs, game developers aren't certain it will replace console videogame machines as the interactive rental item of choice in videostores.
When the operating system was launched in August amid a flurry of hype, game developers touted the system as finally making computer games "plug and play"--an element that was missing from the previous Microsoft operating systems. But, with its viability as a game system only beginning to be established, many attending a Microsoft-sponsored trade show here said it will take time before the industry turns its attention to renting games for Windows 95.
This is due to a number of factors. Currently, only a handful of Windows 95 games are on the market (about 75 are expected to be on the shelf by Christmas). Another factor is that, although the operating system is a vast improvement over DOS and Windows 3.1, game publishers say that consumers who upgrade to Windows 95 may then need a memory upgrade to play games.
Also, since the platform is just getting off the ground, game companies are initially focusing on selling, rather than renting, games (many game developers believe the platform won't be established until next Christmas; they see the viability of renting games for it even farther into the future). And, there's still a reluctance on the part of many software companies to rent product, since they fear it will cannibalize sales.
Activision was among the first companies to release games for the platform, with Pitfall and Shanghai's Greatest Moments, as well as games from the Atari library.
Eric Johnson, Activision VP of marketing, said the company had "high expectations" when the games were released at the same time Windows 95 was launched. Activision hoped that consumers would gobble up the software, which is what happens in the console market when software is launched simultaneously with hardware. However, Johnson said, many game players are still consent with their older operating systems, and it will take time before the masses upgrade.
Nevertheless, Activision is releasing a slew of titles for the platform.
Russell Kelban, Virgin Interactive Entertainment VP of marketing and a veteran of the video industry, said, "I don't see this in the rental business in the near future." He attributed this to the fact that, even though the platform is easier to install, many people still require technical support beyond the support hotlines offered by software and hardware manufacturers. Also, he said most software publishers are betting that consumers will try out games by using demonstration discs, which offer a few levels of play, instead of renting the software.
Some suppliers see a bright future for Windows 95 games in the rental market.
David Localio, Trimark Interactive VP of sales and marketing, considers Windows 95 a remarkable leap over its predecessors. "It's not a panacea, but it's a step in the right direction."
Trimark recently shipped more than 120,000 copies of its game The Hive. Localio is confident that, with so many computers being equipped with the operating system this Christmas, The Hive, as well as other games that take advantage of the operating system's capabilities, will be embraced by consumers as both a rental and sell-through item.
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