Some encouraging comments from Activision, but 4 to 5 years? I really don't think it will take this long, as most 1st and 2nd parties are already tapping into a good deal of the enormous additional performance potential regading their leading PS3 titles (R&C Future, Uncharted, Killzone 2, Final Fantasy XIII, etc). I don't think 3rd parties can afford to stay behind for this long with regard to enhancing game engines. They will start to look like incompetent in consumer eyes and nobody wants their company to be viewed as such.
Activision: PS3 "Most Advanced Gaming Platform"
http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/2030.html
We don't expect every developer to love the PS3, but we do expect a wee bit of effort. There has been a lot of whining concerning Sony's new platform - it was the same way with the PS2 - but the whining has lessened over the course of 2007, and more developers are seeing the light. One of them (who wasn't "whining" to begin with) is Activision, who threw Sony some respect a few days ago.
Speaking at last week's Web 2.0 Summit conference in the U.S., Activision chairman and CEO, Robert Kotick, told an audience member that
he thinks the PlayStation 3 is the "most advanced gaming platform available." At the same time, though, he had to add something we all knew was true- "few game developers were building products that take full advantage of the console's powerful, multicore processor." On the other hand, Kotick said the future was bright; all this would change in "the next four or five years." (quote source: *****)
Activision is a lot like EA; they simply make multiplatform games to get the most out of their investments. Obviously, the PS3 is included in most of their productions thus far, so maybe they're more comfortable than others with the system's complex architecture. Those who are tend to praise the console's potential while admitting it's very difficult to work with, and that's exactly what Activision is doing here. Well, we certainly can't wait for those "next four or five years," that's for sure.