The success of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG has kicked off a fiery debate about game development, AAA costs, and players’ expectations

The success of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG has kicked off a fiery debate about game development, AAA costs, and players’ expectations

  • ampersandrew@kbin.social
    3·
    11 months ago

    The people in charge of these companies, meanwhile, get to quietly count their millions. After all, they aren’t the ones who have to go on a livestream and defend the latest patch notes.

    There are, however, a lot of opportunities during development for everyone down the chain to voice concerns about making an online-only game that doesn’t need to be and requires them to go on a livestream to defend their patch notes.

    • AnarchoYeasty@beehaw.org
      10·
      11 months ago

      And lots of opportunities for them to be ignored or fired. Devs can complain all they want but at the end of the day we have to do what our bosses order us to do.

      • ampersandrew@kbin.social
        4·
        11 months ago

        If it wasn’t on their minds before Diablo IV, I’ll bet “defending our patch notes on a live stream” is going to be a difficult position to staff in the future for a company that’s already had issues retaining talent.

        • EvaUnit02@kbin.social
          5·
          11 months ago

          I’m not sure anyone is having an issue retaining employees. Top employees, perhaps, but for a lot of businesses you don’t need very many brilliant (and expensive) employees. Any competent soul will do. On that score, I can assure you that the game industry has no shortage of folks looking to get in to the industry.

          I know a handful of developers (read: far too many) who have been fired for vocally disagreeing with management.

          • ampersandrew@kbin.social
            3·
            11 months ago

            Sure, but if you want to see what happens when you have a lot of employee turnover from people not agreeing with the direction of a game, look no further than Redfall. Often times that top talent you’re talking about will form their own studios and bring colleagues with them.