Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, director at Rebel Wolves and former associate director on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has voiced his perspective on the potential impact of next-generation console delays, suggesting that such a scenario might not be detrimental to game developers. Tomaszkiewicz indicated that his studio would not be overly concerned if the PlayStation 6 and the next generation of Xbox consoles experience delays due to persistent challenges in component and memory supply chains.
"To be honest, it's even better for us," Tomaszkiewicz told Eurogamer. He explained that new platforms introduce significant development hurdles, including the need to understand hardware limitations and create and maintain separate builds for each system. Rebel Wolves is currently managing four different builds for its upcoming game, The Blood of Dawnwalker, which is slated for release in September across PC and consoles. The studio is already supporting Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and two PC configurations due to regional restrictions. If the studio were to pursue ports for future consoles, Tomaszkiewicz noted that the workload would multiply substantially.
"It sounds easy but you need to know that there is a group of testers who need to test every platform separately—not only this particular change but whether the whole game has no blockers, if you can finish it from the beginning to the end, and so on and so on. It's a huge effort, to be honest," he stated.
While new hardware typically offers advantages, Tomaszkiewicz acknowledged that improvements on more powerful platforms would primarily be visual, owing to increased RAM and enhanced processors. The industry is already grappling with rising hardware costs, with Sony and Microsoft having already increased prices for their current-generation consoles. Nintendo is also raising the price of the Switch 2 in September. Some analyses predict that future console prices could exceed $1,000, a trend that may influence hardware sales figures. In light of potential sales declines, companies like Sony are reportedly phasing out disc drives by 2028, potentially shifting towards all-digital ecosystems to maintain profit margins.