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As someone who covers the business side of gaming a lot, I still get frustrated at gamers that defend every layoff, game cancellation or studio closure, based solely on game sales and nothing else.
Course gaming companies as businesses will focus on sales, but output, library quality and talent retention should also be of concern.
The best and most passionate creatives aren't making games with the sole focus of making money off you. That would be an affront to the creative process and to art.
Instead they're more focused on making the best game they can within the budget, manpower and time constraints they have. In making lasting art, that resonates with consumers.
Great sales are the by product.
Hence the barometer a profitable company judges gaming studios on, and that we defend them for, shouldn't just be how much a studios game sold, rather, the quality of their game and talent of the studio.
Because a great studio with incredible output and talent, can always make another great game, that MAY sell incredibly well, and a publisher can always steer them towards a pitch they think has more sales potential.
FROM Software went from Demon's Souls to Elden Ring. Naughty Dog UC1 to UC4. Arrowhead from Helldivers 1 to Helldivers 2. Respawn from Titanfall 2 to Apex Legends. From games that were commercially limited, to one's that were commercial monsters.
To that end, Saros, Death Stranding 1/2, Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, Hi-Fi Rush, Indiana Jones, Metroid Prime (multiple), Bayonetta 2/3, Demon's Souls, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Titanfall 2 etc may not have sold gangbusters, but the studios that made them, held up their side of things, by providing incredible, critically acclaimed games, within a sensible time and budget.
And each could still make an incredible game that does find far more commercial success.
Ultimately we as CONSUMERS, should be prioritising the defence of quality, not just sales.
Course gaming companies as businesses will focus on sales, but output, library quality and talent retention should also be of concern.
The best and most passionate creatives aren't making games with the sole focus of making money off you. That would be an affront to the creative process and to art.
Instead they're more focused on making the best game they can within the budget, manpower and time constraints they have. In making lasting art, that resonates with consumers.
Great sales are the by product.
Hence the barometer a profitable company judges gaming studios on, and that we defend them for, shouldn't just be how much a studios game sold, rather, the quality of their game and talent of the studio.
Because a great studio with incredible output and talent, can always make another great game, that MAY sell incredibly well, and a publisher can always steer them towards a pitch they think has more sales potential.
FROM Software went from Demon's Souls to Elden Ring. Naughty Dog UC1 to UC4. Arrowhead from Helldivers 1 to Helldivers 2. Respawn from Titanfall 2 to Apex Legends. From games that were commercially limited, to one's that were commercial monsters.
To that end, Saros, Death Stranding 1/2, Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, Hi-Fi Rush, Indiana Jones, Metroid Prime (multiple), Bayonetta 2/3, Demon's Souls, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Titanfall 2 etc may not have sold gangbusters, but the studios that made them, held up their side of things, by providing incredible, critically acclaimed games, within a sensible time and budget.
And each could still make an incredible game that does find far more commercial success.
Ultimately we as CONSUMERS, should be prioritising the defence of quality, not just sales.
