Conference reflects transition to mobile gaming

It's a time of transition for the video game industry.

With last year's launch of the Wii U, the impending arrival of the PlayStation 4 and the likelihood of a new Xbox on the horizon, the next generation of video game consoles is nearly here.

However, more than half of the attendees at this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco identify themselves as indie developers, and their next creations will be for smartphones and tablets. So when it comes to the next generation of consoles, the question on their minds doesn't seem to be "What's next?" but rather "Who cares?"

The schedule for this year's conference illustrates the dramatic changes that are reshaping the gaming industry, an evolution that's as much about business models as it is about pixels.

Organizers have added a summit on free-to-play games, plan talks on topics like crowdfunding and micro-transactions, and are presenting panels with such titles as "Making Money with Mobile Gaming" and "Why Won't FarmVille Go Away?"

Simon Carless, executive vice president at UBM Tech Game Network, which hosts this and several other technology conferences, said 58 percent of developers surveyed by organizers plan to release their next game for tablets and smartphones.

"I think what we're seeing is that there's many more small developers," said Carless. "For example, 53 percent of developers identify as an indie developer, and 46 percent of those surveyed work at companies with 10 employees or less. It's simply a fact that people are more excited by platforms where there's a low barrier for entry."

Video game consoles still have a big presence at the conference, which kicked off Monday at the Moscone Convention Center.

Sony is angling to reignite developers' enthusiasm with the PlayStation 4. Sony has boasted that the successor to the PS3 would essentially be a "supercharged PC," a platform that would make it easier for developers to create and sell games.

Nintendo will also be on hand with a session Wednesday outlining easier ways for developers to make apps for the Wii U, the touch-screen controller system that kicked off the latest generation of consoles last year but has failed to catch fire the way the original Wii did when it launched in 2006.