jammy2211 said:
That hardly proves HD investment is unprofitable though, does it? Even after profits made, companies are sinking money into lots of other things, paying execs 'above' the developers, spending on rnd on non-game related matters, market research, cancelled projects etc. The San Diego story that came out from Joystiq I think shows where alot of companies are sinking their moeny - mismanagement causes them to sinks a stupid amount of money into something and make it unprofitable. That's no the HD consoles fault, and it could happen on any games developement. It seems to happen less in the east, where I think the publishers have a better lid on their studios. It's foolish to assume going to the Wii will reap better profits for a company though, it depends entirely on circumstances. The western publishers are getting a pathetic amount out of the Wii userbase and it does need to step up, but at the same time non of them can afford to take risks in trying to sell on a market few have had success on. When I put myself in these companies shoes I think alot of them are in a really tight spot at the moment, and after most of them made their name in the Ps1 and Ps2 days they're not used to have two completely split markets.
Also on the MW2 note, it has sold $1 billion at retail. As far as Activision are concerned, they make ~$30 per copy sold, so they're sitting at something like $600 million of that revenue once you factor in the extra money made from prestige editions etc. Mw2 will sell all year though, and the DLC will probably generate them an extra $100 million, plus whatever Microsoft paid for exclusivity... |
Then I'll give it's not the HD itself, but the attitude that makes them support HD despite the higher costs and lower sales goes hand in hand with the bad business of these companies overall.
A flashy-first game is awesome when it comes out. A great-first game is awesome forever.
Plus, just for the hell of it: Kelly Brook at the 2008 BAFTAs