Ian McQue: I used to work in video games. GTA1 through GTAV. We wouldn’t have been able to develop that franchise if we’d launched in today’s climate. Like, where do these giant business brains think billion dollar franchises come from?

I used to work in video games. GTA1 through GTAV. We wouldn’t have been able to develop that franchise if we’d launched in today’s climate. Like, where do these giant business brains think billion dollar franchises come from?

That’s the unfortunate thing in this new climate. New franchises, whether tv shows, movies, or games, aren’t given time to grow and gain an audience. They’re giveb 1 chance to take off and be a huge hit and if that doesn’t happen it’s off to the chopping block. They can’t take time to grow now

I don’t think it’s even about the, you know, ‘content’. It’s about growing whichever platform it happens to be on. And the search for new subscribers. The platform owners have little interest in games, tv, movies, music, whatever.

That too, I feels like they try to force subscriber growth by grabbing anything they can make exclusive expecting people to stay instead of letting their platform grow naturally. Though, they can’t wait for that as they’ve put most of their eggs in one basket and need to see it payoff

They're not in the business of making games, they're in the business of making money.

Now if only they realized that good games make money

"We cut open the goose to get at the golden eggs"

“Flogging a dead horse” springs to mind.

It’s also why the whole games landscape gets more boring by the year.

AAA I should say, there’s still wonderful games being made especially in indie.

*coughRollerdromecough*

Nah, I don't even need to toot my own horn. Just look at how obsessed the internet is with Hades and Helldivers right now. The first games were great and they got a chance to make a second, which people also seem to love.

Honestly been enjpying helldivers 2, and am glad sony reversed their decision to force players to sign up for their PSN to boost theit numbers of folks on their platform, likely to impress investors.

I can't help but think about that tweet that went something like "Early Simpsons was written by nerds inspired by old movies and shows and new Simpsons is written by people who grew up watching the Simpsons."

Once the vultures have finished picking at the carcass of gaming, they will move on, and the industry will be allowed to be creative again.

We can hope.

They don't think about the long term proditability because CEOs want their bonuses for short term profitability in earning quarters. CEOs gwt paid big bucks buy cutting short term costs in earning quarters.

No one is thinking that big. They only care about quarter to quarter. How do I become mega rich in the next 3 months, not how can I grow something over the next 10 years to then become mega rich.

I get that it’s a business, but setting out with the goal of becoming mega rich now or in ten years time is not a good way to create art, whichever medium you’re in. Unfortunately this is the only metric these people understand.

Art has always been a balance of business and artistry, but damn that business side has gotten too powerful these last 20-30 years

💯

How do I become rich in the next 3 months, not how to grow something over the next 10 years to then become mega-rich.

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On the positive side, it seems to be proof that the tech companies just does not get arts and media and don't understand how to sustain long-term creative processes. That means they're not going to stick around. That means things will eventually get better.

If they think about it at all, they assume someone else will start the franchise and then they can just buy that company out.

The giant brains would very much like to focus on existing IP, a process which must obviously occur naturally, right?

Not to mention the investors and CEOs always demanding infinite growth

It just magically appears from narcissistic delusion, duhhh

There are still indie games that are achieving critical and financial success: Hades, Vampire Survivors, both won BAFTAs. But it’s hard to differentiate yourself in the midst of shovelware/AAA/Franchise games. Distribution is a lot easier though.

Hades 2 is looking to be great too, so hopefully there's still a future for franchises made by the right groups of people.

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I’m playing the early access and so far I’m enjoying it. It’s taking a while to get used to new combat mechanics.

100% the sales from GTA2 would have killed the idea of a 3 stone dead, and DMA Design left in tatters.

(GTA2 was my favourite)

Dog frisbee meme with “no experiment, only hit”

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Billion dollar franchises come from indie studios. They buy them and wring as much value out as they can.

There is so much like this in the world today, and it’s hard to escape the idea that it’s the reason tech giants went from turning out hit after hit to failing massively in each new venture.

They obviously come from the brilliant minds of overpaid executives. Duh.

Shareholders are very stupid.They recognize that businesses need time to grow and franchise.They recognize that sports teams need time for players to build skill and grow as a unit.They fundamentally don't understand video games, the process or anything conducive to growth. All quick buck merchants.

The big wigs want instant gratification more than sustainability.

That's why after any big creative project large studios fire at least two thirds of the creative team behind it while they distribute and profit from what the creatives made for them.

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They don't even consider that a new billion dollar franchise could be created, all they're thinking about is extracting as much as possible from the existing franchises for the lowest possible cost. Private equity brain rot mindset

like in the 2010s when all the bullshit from the money was "just make the next google, duh" now it's "just make the next minecraft, on your own time, and sell it to us if it does well on its own,"

From giant business brains, clearly. (Yes, I know it's rhetorical)

why did the lightning gun from 2 never return :(

I think we've grown so accustomed to the way things are now already having an institution and large framework driving decisions. It's the stale bread that comes after a long period of free money and unencumbered growth.

Obviously if there isn't an immediate showing that a game was successful then there's no way a franchise can happen... OH WAIT. There was an example of that with Hi-Fi Rush and they STILL closed that studio for some reason. Almost like trying to beat last year's revenue is more important to them???

Aren't billion dollar franchises the things you get when you do a hostile buyout of an independant studio, and then fire all the creatives and replace them with your corporate drones..?

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At least GTA iv got big despite the fact that Niko was a general Slav who was either in the Yugoslavian wars or Chechnya.

I was thinking about how you can't build a crazy ass franchise like Zelda anymore. In this economy?! With these execs?

From the look of it: pile of cash + mountain of cocaine + something something AI

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