E3
I tried to do an E3 post, but there was almost nothing to talk about.I have seen a pattern, though, and I don't like it. Here's the sequence:
1. Big Company ABC buys very innovative small studio Blam Games.
2. Blam Games is coming out with a new game that's incredibly creative! This game was already in development before Big Company ABC was involved.
3. The new game comes out and it's terrific! Everybody talks about the synergy of the partnership.
4. Blam Games announces their next game, which is a sequel.
5. During development, Blam Games announces that their most valuable creative talent is leaving.
6. Blam Games releases their sequel. It's not nearly as good.
7. Wash, rinse, repeat. The games keep getting worse.
8. Big Company ABC touts the next game by Blam Games, which is now called Big Company ABC Vancouver.
9. Big Company ABC closes Big Company ABC Vancouver.
These big companies have basically become venture capitalists. They buy a studio, strip it of all value, and toss the husk aside.
This is one of the reasons I didn't write about E3. The chances that a big company will release something more interesting than what three people in an apartment are making is almost zero. Part of it is just math--there are thousands of those three man teams, while the big companies release almost nothing that isn't a sequel anymore--but part of it is just being willing to take chances.
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