Game Over?
According to five gaming industry execs, the US cable industry continues to live in the era of Donkey Kong instead of Doom when it comes to the provision of interactive gaming options. And as satellite companies focus heavily on gaming-and with the telcos expected to embrace it-the cable industry may soon face a competition gorilla. PixelPlay CEO Ron Chaimowitz exhorted cable to make its middleware decisions now. The panel, also including Buzztime’s Tyrone Lam and Zodiac Gaming’s Alexander Libkind, acknowledged a growing industry-wide focus on gaming across TV, broadband and mobile platforms, and maintained that cable has the potential for a gaming advantage over satellite because of multi-player capabilities. Chaimowitz, whose firm recently signed an exclusive agreement with the World Poker Tour in England, just hopes that stateside gamers won’t be swallowed by better- prepared outlets.