LG Unveils “Game World” Gaming Portal on Cinema 3D Smart TVs, Seems Optimistic that Devs Will Buy In
Game World, which is launching sometime in September, will feature primarily family-friendly games in both 2D and 3D in genres including action/adventure, RPGs, puzzle games, sports, and more. Users can browse or search for games as well as purchase and play them through the TV’s interface (which looks like any app store you’ve seen), using either the LG Magic Remote or any third-party game controller.
LG Game World store
“Many popular titles will be available along with games developed exclusively for LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company. “By making the most of the capabilities of LG 3D TVs, Game World will allow us to push the boundaries of 3D gaming and expand the market.”
Essentially, what it sounds like Kwon is saying is that some games will be ports of popular existing titles--note, for example, that Plants vs. Zombies is included in the press image--while others will be exclusive titles. That’s exclusive to a specific line of smart TVs, mind you, which begs the question of whether or not game developers will be willing to devote resources to the platform.
LG Apps TV store
It’s hard to imagine that any titles that are exclusive to such a small platform (how many CINEMA 3D Smart TVs is LG planning to sell, anyway?) would be worth game developers’ while.
LG does already have an non-gaming app ecosystem set up, but gaming is a different beast. One wonders if either the games in Game World just won’t be very good, or if LG is heavily subsidizing the development effort in an all-in bid on its smart TV platform.