| Jumpin said: I know it’s not a popular thing to say, but I think Retro is a struggling studio, and I think Metroid Prime 4 was sent to their studio to die. Ex-employees over the past few years have not painted a positive picture. Plus fans of the Metroid Prime series have this cult-like devotion to Retro as though it’s not the staff and their experience, but the very label itself that can make Metroid Prime great again—not contemplating that the team that built Metroid Prime 1 and 2 largely disbanded two decades ago, and conveniently forget the third game was mediocre. It’s almost like they sent it to that studio to die, because that’s the one place Metroid Prime could die without sending the (relatively) small but fanatically devoted and loud fanbase into an uproar—but that’s a bit too pessimistic of a thought, I think :D |
Why the hate for Metroid Prime 4 and Retro Studios? Yes, talents come and go, an issue any company faces. But successful companies keep being successful because they are well structured with a surrounding where knowledge and skills are maintained, teached to the younger generation of developers. On top of that, successful companies attract new talent all the time.
Shigeru Miyamoto isn't actively involved in the development of any Mario, Zelda or any game at all since a long time. Sure, he still has his saying but the overall development of Nintendo games are done without him (and his former peers). Yet, Mario, Zelda and other Nintendo franchises are still of high quality.
Same is true in team sports. Let's say a hockey team has the 3 best players and several other highly ranked players. They win 3 Stanley Cups in a row. Then, next season they lose those 3 best players and several others. It doesn't automatically mean that they will do bad from this season onwards. Probably, they will not win the Stanley Cup in the current season but as long as the finances are there, there's no panic that they can't catch up again, maybe as soon as the next season starts. New talents are always waiting to replace current superstars. Sure, outside of sports your active career is much longer but still, young talents are always there to learn quick and become even better than the current star developers.
In general, I think it's one of the most important skills a management needs to have: Fostering and maintaining talent and skills. It's not the sexiest thing to present to the shareholders as it is first and foremost a cost and has not an immediate effect on return of investment but in the long run, it's probably THE MOST IMPORTANT factor that guarantees a good return of investment.
Regarding the slow output of new games bye Retro Studios. Well, they just have the luxury to be slow as Nintendo gives them all the time they need to bring out high quality games. I think, Nintendo on purpose made them a "luxury brand" where the quality has to be beyond just "very good". The cost for that are cancelled projects and a low quantity of games coming out.
