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tsogud on 09 July 2021
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Jaicee said:
tsogud said:

I like the message of your post Jaicee, especially the last paragraph, and I understand your thinking but for me personally I don't think it applies to a lot of big game companies, which includes Sony. It's just that Sony has so much capital that making a few games that are commercial failures won't bankrupt them and because of this powerful position they really aren't taking risks are they? I think your argument would work better if it was talking about indie devs no?? They have the most to lose and they take risks anyway, recently the most heartfelt games I've played haven't been from AAA developers but from indie devs.

First off, welcome back!!

Secondly, yeah for sure. But I also like to see those sorts of games get proper budgets and more visibility for a change and unfortunately first-party publishers are a main pathway to that. To that end, I definitely think about the amount of creative freedom that developers get under various publishers. Many publishers view their role as essentially one of mitigating between what the people making games want to do on the one hand and what they perceive will sell and make them a profit on the other and I'm just against that.

No, a company like Sony is obviously at no serious risk of collapse or anything like that. But a company of that scale also tends to have a different, greedier definition of risk than you or I can even fathom. Risk to them means like the possibility of losing capital, not of folding, and in that sense there is real risk involved here in some of these projects. Why do you think their Japan Studios are being consolidated right now, with most of the workers being laid off? Because losses from the Japan Studio could cause Sony, the multinational conglomerate, to collapse? No, it's because losses in any one area are commercially inefficient. I'm just hoping that that soulless mentality doesn't get applied to more projects going forward. That was really my point before.

Anyway, I'll conclude this reply by shamelessly hawking another thread of mine 'cause I'd be interested to know what your favorite newer games have been. (An expanded version of my list can be found on the second page.)

Ahh I see what exactly you're getting at. Maybe I was just reading it with a too jaded view of Sony as I'm not partial to big corporations lmaooo but yeah I'd agree and my hopes with the gaming industry going forward is the same. Heartfelt indie games that take risks are great but it's a shame, and it's true like you said, they don't get proper budgets or visibility like AAA first party games.

And thanks for the welcome! I'll be sure to def check out that thread!