Little remembered fact, Turbine was an indie company when it made and released Asheron's Call. It signed on Microsoft as a publisher when they were close to release but Microsoft literally only published the game and hosted the servers.
And yes CCP was too. It shows it can be done, and done successfully. I think the current Indie devs overshoot their product. Instead of release extremely stable, well honed game and slowly expanding on it as they get subscribers (what both Turbine and CCP did with their products). Instead we get indie companies trying to compete directly with the top MMOs at their launch, which is never going to happen. As a result the games aren't even close to stable and they're full of bugs and missed promises.
Indies should charge less, distribute for free, and build up their base...when they have a stable base, good solid gameplay then start to raise the price to the level of other games. As with Fallen Earth...it has a good base...but I would not pay AAA prices for it.
I've been saying it for years... don't blame the goddamned publishers, and don't blame the devs. BLAME YOURSELVES. Every time you pre-purchase a fucking video game because you need to be one of the million other people that are going to have it that same day, you send a message to publishers that you're a mindless zombie who doesn't give a shit about quality or even quantity... just the child-like dream of having that awesome package at any cost. EA, Atari, and Activision are three of the most blatant, bloodsucking THUGS of the videogame industry. Their Borg-like assimilation of EVERY fucking dev. company and IP is legendary. You people really need to take a step back and see the forest through the goddamned trees. It's not PC's vs. Consoles... it's Publishers vs. Consumers. The ironic thing though... is they're not pushers of some addictive drug, or life-changing appliance. They're slave masters who whip their devs into submission after they sign their souls away to meet the deadline as quick as possible. Quality doesn't need to be a factor, because they'll "get it right" with the sequel the following year at full price. The worst part is... Every one of you know this and still in zealot fashion pre-purchase that game and send a message straight to the top saying "I have disposable income, spoon-feed me shit and I'll eat it up." *shrugs* Bon Appétit and thanks a fucking lot for ruining my games, assholes.
This message should be broadcast to the whole world, blind purchases are what make this environment of craptastic releases possible and actually a lot more profitable than solid releases developed for the gamer that seeks quality.
I have to say, Scott Jennings is probably the best front page writer on this site. Great article, very truthful, I agree fully, although I've believed this to be the case for years.
I think the answer lies in gaming platforms that can be modded up. You need something that everyone can use as a base, then work off of other people's work in a "standing on the shoulders of giants" model. Otherwise, the front work is just too much to handle for a small team.
I think its important to note - that gaming is changing. Casual players no longer buy a PS3 game for 60 USD and then play it for 1 hour. Thats why Guitar hero is loosing its popularity for example. These casual gamers have found new ways to get entertained - paying less - but getting the same thing out of it. Huge free to play markets and social sites are adding new titles that dont cost a dime (at least not at start) so ppl will ofc grab it.
About the old "publisher is the bad guy" - Well its the half truth. The other half is that the same publisher funded the entire project - and since the developers are very often NOT able to follow the timeframe set up for the game - it means that the publishers usually spend alot more than they intented to before the game launches... and then in many cases - its not even half finished. You can not blame the publisher for that. Thats the development team that has failed to deliver and ofc the ppl that have spent the money will not be happy with that....
But Scott is ofc right when he talks about lower budget -indepented released games. The problem is still in many cases that the DEVELOPERS are not able to provide the quality product and it will never be on time. Free to play is therefor the so called "low quality" outcome that we have all grown to know. Well... the thing is... it doesnt have to be low quality ... just start with a small dose of high quality .. and then built on it... But ofc that means that the DEVELOPERS need to be on top of their game...and then we come yet again to the problem.... Very few developers are actually cabable of releasing a good quality product. And those that can go to the publishers so they can spend more money - to develop "more" of a game- that then is harder to control when the game is released to a custimor base - that then isn't really looking for "that sort of a game". So ... we have another niche game that the developers wanted to make - the publishers payed for - but very few really like to play. And even fewer will now pay for playing it...
This article is all too true, I became sick to my stomach when EA purchased Bioware all I could think of is that one of my favorite devolopers will soon be no more.
The indie game market would be better if it wasn't flooded with uninteresting, simplistic shit. Hard to say BUY INDIE when most indie games aren't worth anything and there are still plenty of great non-indie games. While more indie games come out that are very innovative, more non-indie ones come out with large amounts of depth to keep sucking you in.
But yes, this is fairly ridiculous. Stupid wealth distribution upsets me, too. DO 1% OF THE WORK GET 80% OF THE PROFIT YEAHHH
Developers should just start very small, make small but good games, and always release them digitally, on a platform like Steam. Then they wouldnt need a publisher. Publishers are all ran by greedy monkeys with mad cow disease.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
Agreed, support indies, those games might not be "AAA" but you can actually find better "quality" (as in history, deep and such), than its big fat corporate brothers.
Boy do I hope some greedy publisher reads this and gets all flustered. That would be the day... when publishers fear of job security is greater than the developers.
For the first time in years I'm not subscribed to an mmo. I play f2p's or single player. I'm as ready as the next person to throw down my money and play that new mmo. Problem is none have come out lately I feel are worth my money or time.
It took several years for me to see the light and stop pre-orders, stop buying into the hype. ..... It was almost as bad as stopping smoking. Hopefully others will jump on the band wagon and dry up the easy money these companies are sucking out of the gaming industry.
Robert A. Kotick (born 1963)[1], also known as Bobby Kotick, is the CEO, president, and board member for Activision Blizzard, a video game developer and publisher.
" During Activision Blizzard's Q2 2009 financial results conference, Kotick was challenged over his "comfort level" around high prices attached to "new games that have some expensive controllers" (presumably the Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk and DJ Hero franchises), and said, "If it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further."
In 2008, as reported by Forbes magazine, Robert Kotick received nearly $15 million USD in salary, benefits, options and incentives for his work with Activision Blizzard, of which $899,560 was his actual salary
"don't have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million dollar franchises. ... I think, generally, our strategy has been to focus... on the products that have those attributes and characteristics, the products that we know [that] if we release them today, we'll be working on them 10 years from now."
I guess I'm not surprised now.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."
While I have a certain level of sympathy for the fired, this article is far too juvenile.
Corporations bad, poor people good! Where hammer and sickle?
The people spending the money to develop these games are taking the risks. Very few, if any, here understand the business model for the people who lay out the money for games that may or may not even break even.
Just like pharmaceutical developers, the people who bankroll these projects have to factor in complete and utter failures, games that get scrapped, etc.
If you want control, you treat it like any other business: start small, get paid nothing for a long time, release a modest product for a low price, and slowly build out the game as you go. How many regular people start a business and shoot for 100,000 customers within a month of opening the door in order to justify an investment?
It's like saying "I don't want to open a single pizza place, but a whole chain throughout the country, and I want someone else to pay for it all while I retain all control."
It's ridiculous.
Have a vision. Build it out bit by bit and have patience. Maybe you'll just make a modest living and not turn out super-rich. That's how a lot of businesses end up anyway. Why should the MMO industry be so different?
If the company who created a game like Modern Warfare, which educates the shooting of civilians is in trouble, it is only justice! People who sanction such games must SUFFER.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I would like to add that CCP (EVE) is a company that sells the game online - no real publishers (boxed versions). And this leads to a BETTER game cause there are no payed for expansions that force the developers to create worlds outside of the main world. Everyone is welcomed into the entire game with all updates with every single free expansion pack. And where does it leave EVE ? One of the most succsessfull MMOs of all time ? From a true Indie company.
How many boxes for payed for expnasions do you think a publisher would have tried to force out ? And who cares if it destroys what EVE is all about while at it ? ..
Some of the free to play are starting to throw out huge free expansions like Runes of Magic. The problem with F2P expansions is that they reduce the value of the items that are in item shops. So not as profitable for the money men... but still ofc making money.
Now... all this is nice.. but I sure as hell am able to predict neither of those so nicely kicked has learned anything and will go to EA or SOE only to get kicked again.
because the "high-profile" devs live of the publishers, and when one contract gets broken, they sign a next pact with the devil for cash just as big.
I would be genuinely surprised if any of them agreed to work with a smaller Dev studio for less cash, even if it meant greater stability.
Simply put... the devs don't learn from their mistakes, so they allow the publishers to exploit them. Had the Devs learned and all the big publishers would be left with unskilled Devs, such practices would cease.
I definitely wouldn't call it a 'mistake' on the developers part. As the article points out, it's an industry standard, and in many cases a necessity.
People get into games because they love them (usually). That doesn't mean they don't have to eat, have families to support, or want to enjoy other facets of life as well.
I work with many people in the game development industry as well as other creative industries. While it's true that a smaller development studio will generally hold onto you longer, it doesn't necessarily mean more job security. For starters, it's not like you're getting a pay cut of only a couple bucks/hr. Often working for a smaller team means a significant pay reduction. An example of this may be a change of 50-70$/ hr. down to as low as 25-30. On top of this, smaller development studios are more vulnerable, and often have to let people go during off months to stay afloat. This can mean that you're not only taking a huge pay cut, but you're also stuck with months out of the year where you will need to find a 2nd job or freelance.
While getting paid more can often mean putting up with a lot more crap, or working with douchebags you know will turn around and fire you for a job well done, it also puts you in a much better position to rebound from such a layoff. Especially now, with the economy, layoffs are pretty common in this industry. It is generally better to go for the higher pay and job hop, then to take really low wages over a longer period of time. I don't doubt that the developers from Infinity Ward will do just that.
The only time I'd ever suggest going for a smaller company is if you are either new to the industry, or are working on a project you are extremely passionate about.
Wow....very nice. I could not agree anymore. When will big time publisher realize that developers are artists, and not tools to be used and tossed away. Not to have their titles used years down the line from a different (cheaper) team to make huge profits for them and their stock holders.
Reading this makes me not even want to put money into these publisher pockets.
With stories like this, no wonder there is digital piracy!
I agree with the problem being highlighted 100%. "The publishers think quarterly layoffs are a good start." Wow did that ever hit the nail on the head.
I've noticed over the years that its both the players and the devs that get exploited by the big companies who truly don't seem to care about creativity or entertainment value. All they do is suck...cash and creativity.
I think your comparison to the music industry is excellent. Remember the album cover for Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here? I'm pretty sure that a musician is shaking hands with a guy that's on fire, but not burning up. I'm pretty sure that's a producer, aka the devil lol.
Apparently I also agree with your recommendation too. I'm playing 2 Indie games currently. They're made by computuer super geniuses just because, and they're fun to play. They're creative as hell. No one is exploiting the devs, and no one is exploiting me. The supernerds (I mean that affectionately) are having the time of their lives creating their own world and playing in it, and I'm lucky as hell that they invited me to the party.
Maybe if publishers weren't so focused on short-term cash grabs, it wouldn't have to be this way. Maybe if they understood the value of earning customer loyalty over the long haul with excellent quality and service things could change. Maybe if the way MMOs were run had more dev and user friendly legislative parameters, exploitation wouldn't be the rule. Until all these maybes become a reality, I think I've found my niche in the Indie scene. And yeah, I'm an Indie musician too, with a friend who runs a legitimate online distribution site. It's good times all around.
While there are a few great indie developers, there are also a lot that go broke before they can finish a game (such as Star Gate). I've been in some betas where they couldn't find financing and has to shut it down and others where they had to release it half done because they needed the cash to continue. Of course, releasing a game way too early makes it very hard for it to be sucessful as players will be disappointed and give it bad PR.
Any developer that doesn't already have a sucessful game producing income needs to have investors to pay for the costs of the development. So if they can't find private investors, they have to contract with some publisher and sign away at least some control over the development. And then when it takes longer than expected and goes over budget, there will be a push to sell pre-release, release early, and over-hype the game to sell lots of boxes before too many find out that its not ready.
Very interesting article. However as an experienced MMOG player, who have seen several indy MMOG games, I am doubtful if we can put the future of games in the hands of companies like Starvault, Adventurine or whatever those other companies were called that created barely playable games like Mourning and Dark and Light. To my knowledge the only indy company to produce an MMOG with any kind of quality is CCP (Eve). All other indy MMOG has been garbage and judging by Mortal Onlines open beta another garbage, incomplete game from an indy company is on its way. So the choice seems to be between simple, massproduced games which are driven by money grabbing people in suits or buggy, barely playable junk coming from underfinanced and underdeveloped indy companies. The future of MMOGs is bleak indeed...
Little remembered fact, Turbine was an indie company when it made and released Asheron's Call. It signed on Microsoft as a publisher when they were close to release but Microsoft literally only published the game and hosted the servers.
And yes CCP was too. It shows it can be done, and done successfully. I think the current Indie devs overshoot their product. Instead of release extremely stable, well honed game and slowly expanding on it as they get subscribers (what both Turbine and CCP did with their products). Instead we get indie companies trying to compete directly with the top MMOs at their launch, which is never going to happen. As a result the games aren't even close to stable and they're full of bugs and missed promises.
Turbine is still independent company , and they publish the games them selves ( well , they use codemasters in europe - but are not financially dependent )
And Turbine not only proven that you can make damn good competitor to WOW : LOTRO
But that you can reinvent the wheel , and turn subscriptions upside down - with DDO:Unlimited
One of the few articles I've read by Jennings recently that didn't have some not-so-subtle hidden message or bias or subliminal *play EVE/Aion* flashing images... In short, I liked it. Good journalism free of personal bias and the kind I'd like to see more of on MMORPG.com. I really enjoyed the comparisons made to the recording industry; he's exactly right. The big boys get to become (or have to become, depending on how you view it) publishers themselves; the smaller studios don't have that luxury. Then you have the small, indie studios without a large company publishing or backing them - look at Icarus, makers of Fallen Earth. It's a small game that I would say is far better in quality than any other "AAA" (whatever that's supposed to mean nowadays) game released in '09; and is far and away better and more engaging than Aion which is another "me too" themepark grind at best, a security nightmare and hacker's haven at worst. So there are smaller companies out there still publishing good games. It still pays to keep an eye on the big boys, SoE and Blizzard, of course - just because they're big, doesn't mean they're bad. In a lot of ways I am most interested in what the huge self-publishing companies come up with and what the smaller guys (like Icarus) come up with. The companies that "latch on" to a large publisher ala Atari and Turbine? Not so much. Atari absolutely destroyed DDO with a lack of support and advertising, in my opinion. That game could still be sub-based if it had proper backing, instead, it's a freakshow F2P nightmare game that doesn't remotely remind me of the D&D games my friends and I had around tables. (Maybe I should start charging players in my tabletop games for magic items and new races... Hey David, you want to play a drow? That will be $5. Also, if you want a magic Longsword +2, that will be $10. I take cash or checks.) I somehow doubt that would go over well with my tabletop players. Good journalism, Jennings. Good writing.
This is an opinion column its suppose to have bias.
Article is right on also. But this is a problem seen across the board in all industries from Newspaper, to games and music..
Its very unlikely however you will find another model in the current system that will provide as much funding as these kinds of companies can.
Can small game developers get us out of the mess caused by rampant commercialism? I look at the history of businesses and marketing and just can’t see that. I see some great indie games like Plants versus Zombies and World of Goo, but the history of gaming makes me just wonder how long before the likes of EA buys them up?
Gaming is now ruled by giant companies who leave no room for the small innovator, companies who look first to squeeze every last penny out of a title. Some companies pursue a policy of quality of brand; they take a profit hit to ensure the customer comes to them. Gaming companies now rarely do this, and it's unlikely that will change.
But Mr Jennings has raised a new concern for me, if the best programmers, artists and writers see the gaming industry as a place with no job security, will they chose to work elsewhere? If they can find other more secure employment I am sure they will.
--------
Justarius1- "Maybe I should start charging players in my tabletop games for magic items and new races... Hey David, you want to play a drow? That will be $5. Also, if you want a magic Longsword +2, that will be $10. I take cash or checks. I somehow doubt that would go over well with my tabletop players."
Comments
Indies should charge less, distribute for free, and build up their base...when they have a stable base, good solid gameplay then start to raise the price to the level of other games. As with Fallen Earth...it has a good base...but I would not pay AAA prices for it.
This message should be broadcast to the whole world, blind purchases are what make this environment of craptastic releases possible and actually a lot more profitable than solid releases developed for the gamer that seeks quality.
I have to say, Scott Jennings is probably the best front page writer on this site. Great article, very truthful, I agree fully, although I've believed this to be the case for years.
I think the answer lies in gaming platforms that can be modded up. You need something that everyone can use as a base, then work off of other people's work in a "standing on the shoulders of giants" model. Otherwise, the front work is just too much to handle for a small team.
I think its important to note - that gaming is changing. Casual players no longer buy a PS3 game for 60 USD and then play it for 1 hour. Thats why Guitar hero is loosing its popularity for example. These casual gamers have found new ways to get entertained - paying less - but getting the same thing out of it. Huge free to play markets and social sites are adding new titles that dont cost a dime (at least not at start) so ppl will ofc grab it.
About the old "publisher is the bad guy" - Well its the half truth. The other half is that the same publisher funded the entire project - and since the developers are very often NOT able to follow the timeframe set up for the game - it means that the publishers usually spend alot more than they intented to before the game launches... and then in many cases - its not even half finished. You can not blame the publisher for that. Thats the development team that has failed to deliver and ofc the ppl that have spent the money will not be happy with that....
But Scott is ofc right when he talks about lower budget -indepented released games. The problem is still in many cases that the DEVELOPERS are not able to provide the quality product and it will never be on time. Free to play is therefor the so called "low quality" outcome that we have all grown to know. Well... the thing is... it doesnt have to be low quality ... just start with a small dose of high quality .. and then built on it... But ofc that means that the DEVELOPERS need to be on top of their game...and then we come yet again to the problem.... Very few developers are actually cabable of releasing a good quality product. And those that can go to the publishers so they can spend more money - to develop "more" of a game- that then is harder to control when the game is released to a custimor base - that then isn't really looking for "that sort of a game". So ... we have another niche game that the developers wanted to make - the publishers payed for - but very few really like to play. And even fewer will now pay for playing it...
Don't blame the publisher for that.
This article is all too true, I became sick to my stomach when EA purchased Bioware all I could think of is that one of my favorite devolopers will soon be no more.
The indie game market would be better if it wasn't flooded with uninteresting, simplistic shit. Hard to say BUY INDIE when most indie games aren't worth anything and there are still plenty of great non-indie games. While more indie games come out that are very innovative, more non-indie ones come out with large amounts of depth to keep sucking you in.
But yes, this is fairly ridiculous. Stupid wealth distribution upsets me, too. DO 1% OF THE WORK GET 80% OF THE PROFIT YEAHHH
Developers should just start very small, make small but good games, and always release them digitally, on a platform like Steam. Then they wouldnt need a publisher. Publishers are all ran by greedy monkeys with mad cow disease.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
Agreed, support indies, those games might not be "AAA" but you can actually find better "quality" (as in history, deep and such), than its big fat corporate brothers.
Great article, much worth my reading time.
Boy do I hope some greedy publisher reads this and gets all flustered. That would be the day... when publishers fear of job security is greater than the developers.
Well said.
For the first time in years I'm not subscribed to an mmo. I play f2p's or single player. I'm as ready as the next person to throw down my money and play that new mmo. Problem is none have come out lately I feel are worth my money or time.
It took several years for me to see the light and stop pre-orders, stop buying into the hype. ..... It was almost as bad as stopping smoking. Hopefully others will jump on the band wagon and dry up the easy money these companies are sucking out of the gaming industry.
Haha , what an epic article, thumbs up for you bruv.
Loved the reading, keep em comming
List of SOE lies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kotick
Robert A. Kotick (born 1963)[1], also known as Bobby Kotick, is the CEO, president, and board member for Activision Blizzard, a video game developer and publisher.
" During Activision Blizzard's Q2 2009 financial results conference, Kotick was challenged over his "comfort level" around high prices attached to "new games that have some expensive controllers" (presumably the Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk and DJ Hero franchises), and said, "If it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further."
In 2008, as reported by Forbes magazine, Robert Kotick received nearly $15 million USD in salary, benefits, options and incentives for his work with Activision Blizzard, of which $899,560 was his actual salary
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/11/05/why-activision-let-go-of-ghostbusters-and-50-cent-games/
"don't have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million dollar franchises. ... I think, generally, our strategy has been to focus... on the products that have those attributes and characteristics, the products that we know [that] if we release them today, we'll be working on them 10 years from now."
I guess I'm not surprised now.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."
While I have a certain level of sympathy for the fired, this article is far too juvenile.
Corporations bad, poor people good! Where hammer and sickle?
The people spending the money to develop these games are taking the risks. Very few, if any, here understand the business model for the people who lay out the money for games that may or may not even break even.
Just like pharmaceutical developers, the people who bankroll these projects have to factor in complete and utter failures, games that get scrapped, etc.
If you want control, you treat it like any other business: start small, get paid nothing for a long time, release a modest product for a low price, and slowly build out the game as you go. How many regular people start a business and shoot for 100,000 customers within a month of opening the door in order to justify an investment?
It's like saying "I don't want to open a single pizza place, but a whole chain throughout the country, and I want someone else to pay for it all while I retain all control."
It's ridiculous.
Have a vision. Build it out bit by bit and have patience. Maybe you'll just make a modest living and not turn out super-rich. That's how a lot of businesses end up anyway. Why should the MMO industry be so different?
If the company who created a game like Modern Warfare, which educates the shooting of civilians is in trouble, it is only justice! People who sanction such games must SUFFER.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I would like to add that CCP (EVE) is a company that sells the game online - no real publishers (boxed versions). And this leads to a BETTER game cause there are no payed for expansions that force the developers to create worlds outside of the main world. Everyone is welcomed into the entire game with all updates with every single free expansion pack. And where does it leave EVE ? One of the most succsessfull MMOs of all time ? From a true Indie company.
How many boxes for payed for expnasions do you think a publisher would have tried to force out ? And who cares if it destroys what EVE is all about while at it ? ..
Some of the free to play are starting to throw out huge free expansions like Runes of Magic. The problem with F2P expansions is that they reduce the value of the items that are in item shops. So not as profitable for the money men... but still ofc making money.
I definitely wouldn't call it a 'mistake' on the developers part. As the article points out, it's an industry standard, and in many cases a necessity.
People get into games because they love them (usually). That doesn't mean they don't have to eat, have families to support, or want to enjoy other facets of life as well.
I work with many people in the game development industry as well as other creative industries. While it's true that a smaller development studio will generally hold onto you longer, it doesn't necessarily mean more job security. For starters, it's not like you're getting a pay cut of only a couple bucks/hr. Often working for a smaller team means a significant pay reduction. An example of this may be a change of 50-70$/ hr. down to as low as 25-30. On top of this, smaller development studios are more vulnerable, and often have to let people go during off months to stay afloat. This can mean that you're not only taking a huge pay cut, but you're also stuck with months out of the year where you will need to find a 2nd job or freelance.
While getting paid more can often mean putting up with a lot more crap, or working with douchebags you know will turn around and fire you for a job well done, it also puts you in a much better position to rebound from such a layoff. Especially now, with the economy, layoffs are pretty common in this industry. It is generally better to go for the higher pay and job hop, then to take really low wages over a longer period of time. I don't doubt that the developers from Infinity Ward will do just that.
The only time I'd ever suggest going for a smaller company is if you are either new to the industry, or are working on a project you are extremely passionate about.
This site needs more articles and follow up discussions, like this. Thanks to all those involved...it's been a great read to end the nght with.
Wow....very nice. I could not agree anymore. When will big time publisher realize that developers are artists, and not tools to be used and tossed away. Not to have their titles used years down the line from a different (cheaper) team to make huge profits for them and their stock holders.
Reading this makes me not even want to put money into these publisher pockets.
With stories like this, no wonder there is digital piracy!
S.C.I.F.I
<Sights, Clouded, In, False, Illusions>
I agree with the problem being highlighted 100%. "The publishers think quarterly layoffs are a good start." Wow did that ever hit the nail on the head.
I've noticed over the years that its both the players and the devs that get exploited by the big companies who truly don't seem to care about creativity or entertainment value. All they do is suck...cash and creativity.
I think your comparison to the music industry is excellent. Remember the album cover for Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here? I'm pretty sure that a musician is shaking hands with a guy that's on fire, but not burning up. I'm pretty sure that's a producer, aka the devil lol.
Apparently I also agree with your recommendation too. I'm playing 2 Indie games currently. They're made by computuer super geniuses just because, and they're fun to play. They're creative as hell. No one is exploiting the devs, and no one is exploiting me. The supernerds (I mean that affectionately) are having the time of their lives creating their own world and playing in it, and I'm lucky as hell that they invited me to the party.
Maybe if publishers weren't so focused on short-term cash grabs, it wouldn't have to be this way. Maybe if they understood the value of earning customer loyalty over the long haul with excellent quality and service things could change. Maybe if the way MMOs were run had more dev and user friendly legislative parameters, exploitation wouldn't be the rule. Until all these maybes become a reality, I think I've found my niche in the Indie scene. And yeah, I'm an Indie musician too, with a friend who runs a legitimate online distribution site. It's good times all around.
While there are a few great indie developers, there are also a lot that go broke before they can finish a game (such as Star Gate). I've been in some betas where they couldn't find financing and has to shut it down and others where they had to release it half done because they needed the cash to continue. Of course, releasing a game way too early makes it very hard for it to be sucessful as players will be disappointed and give it bad PR.
Any developer that doesn't already have a sucessful game producing income needs to have investors to pay for the costs of the development. So if they can't find private investors, they have to contract with some publisher and sign away at least some control over the development. And then when it takes longer than expected and goes over budget, there will be a push to sell pre-release, release early, and over-hype the game to sell lots of boxes before too many find out that its not ready.
Little remembered fact, Turbine was an indie company when it made and released Asheron's Call. It signed on Microsoft as a publisher when they were close to release but Microsoft literally only published the game and hosted the servers.
And yes CCP was too. It shows it can be done, and done successfully. I think the current Indie devs overshoot their product. Instead of release extremely stable, well honed game and slowly expanding on it as they get subscribers (what both Turbine and CCP did with their products). Instead we get indie companies trying to compete directly with the top MMOs at their launch, which is never going to happen. As a result the games aren't even close to stable and they're full of bugs and missed promises.
Turbine is still independent company , and they publish the games them selves ( well , they use codemasters in europe - but are not financially dependent )
And Turbine not only proven that you can make damn good competitor to WOW : LOTRO
But that you can reinvent the wheel , and turn subscriptions upside down - with DDO:Unlimited
This is an opinion column its suppose to have bias.
Article is right on also. But this is a problem seen across the board in all industries from Newspaper, to games and music..
Its very unlikely however you will find another model in the current system that will provide as much funding as these kinds of companies can.
Can small game developers get us out of the mess caused by rampant commercialism? I look at the history of businesses and marketing and just can’t see that. I see some great indie games like Plants versus Zombies and World of Goo, but the history of gaming makes me just wonder how long before the likes of EA buys them up?
Gaming is now ruled by giant companies who leave no room for the small innovator, companies who look first to squeeze every last penny out of a title. Some companies pursue a policy of quality of brand; they take a profit hit to ensure the customer comes to them. Gaming companies now rarely do this, and it's unlikely that will change.
But Mr Jennings has raised a new concern for me, if the best programmers, artists and writers see the gaming industry as a place with no job security, will they chose to work elsewhere? If they can find other more secure employment I am sure they will.
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Justarius1- "Maybe I should start charging players in my tabletop games for magic items and new races... Hey David, you want to play a drow? That will be $5. Also, if you want a magic Longsword +2, that will be $10. I take cash or checks. I somehow doubt that would go over well with my tabletop players."
Had me in stiches there
RIP Infinity Ward
accountants should never run a business
BestSigEver :P
