By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
jarrod on 27 September 2010
Edit Thread
Qays said:
jarrod said:
Qays said:

The thing is, for all their groaning, publishers don't seem to be doing that badly by focusing on the HD twins. We are, in fact, going through something of a core gaming renaissance, with new IPs being regularly introduced and performing pretty damn well without so much as shaking a stick in the Wii's direction. The reason for this is clear: a core game gains nothing by released on the Wii because that's not where the core gamers are.

Are you kidding me?  There have been more layoffs, buyouts, bankruptcies and closures for developers and publishers in the past 4 years than at any time since the big crash of the early 80s.  Companies now have to target a combined 3 platforms (360, PS3 and sometimes PC) rather than just one, spend up to 10 times what they used to on PS2 for development and promotion (budgets for AAA HD games have reached $100m plus this gen), and they get generally comparable sales as they did on just PS2, at best (most franchises are down really).  Most companies are barely staying afloat this gen, this is what you call a "renaissance"?

We're seeing consolidation, but none of the big players are in any serious financial trouble. The industry is becoming more efficient because production costs are higher. That's not a bad thing.

The barrier of entry to be competitive is rapidly rising, that generally squeezes out smaller devs, newer devs and new talent.  Yeah, when things cost dramatically more for basically the same or less return in business, that's generally seen as a "bad thing".  This isn't simple consolidation, it's the new economy. If you really think everything's just hunky-dorey with even the big publishers, I'd suggest you take a quick look at any of their IR sites and educate yourself.

And that's why this gen has been such an utter clusterfuck for developers and publishers; both Wii and HD multi each make for a poor replacement to the PS2 for 3rd parties, and each in their own ways.  On HD multi they have to spend big and maybe go broke in the process, on Wii they can face an apathetic/hostile market that's just going to go with the one brand they trust anyway (Nintendo).  The former is a result of market dynamics and technology, the latter's more a result of their own making, but the situation is equally bleak on both sides compared to what everyone had last gen.  This isn't a Renaissance for core game makers, it's the Ice Age.