Scary News for Indie Game Devs....

This is inevitable and it will restrict the smaller studios or indies to concentrate on budget PC or hand held games.

I don't think it's such a bad sign though, it'll weed out some of the trash we currently get in console development, and it'll create more jobs... especially through outsourced work. I can't see many studios becoming too much larger, in fact I predict core teams will eventually become smaller and it could get to the stage where a studio consists of a few people coordinating the outsourcing, producers, designers and one or two lead artists and programmers.

We will see more companies rise from the ashes of the smaller game dev studios who will specialise in particular aspects of game development. The downside of this scenario is a loss of spontainious creativity but because of the enormous budgets these games will require, nothing will be second guessed.

This is sort of the thing that was discussed in Game Architecture and Design a while ago. That more things in a game will be outsourced etc, that's inevitable - now no-one builds their own physics engine anymore for a game, they just use an existing package.

While they say that it will be nigh but impossible to make money as an indie that only relates to the mainstream games on consoles. There will always be avenues for indies to get exposure or even make money but that will be by not going through the traditional marketing channels, but instead relying more on the Internet, and alternate distribution methods - Steam, episodic game content / shareware, etc.

The Indies will find ways to make money, it will take a few innovators then the rest will follow.

I don't like the idea of outsourcing, i don't know why, probably becuase i'm not being open minded, but if thats the way the industry going then i can't really stop it.

Rather disheartening articles there, sounds like life in the games industry is only going to get harder.

quote:Originally posted by Happy Camper

I don't like the idea of outsourcing, i don't know why, probably becuase i'm not being open minded, but if thats the way the industry going then i can't really stop it.

Rather disheartening articles there, sounds like life in the games industry is only going to get harder.

Some positive aspects of outsourcing are...

Quality control: if the contractors work isn't up to scratch, they don't get paid, therefore it has to be done right.

Specialising in one particular area of game development: this gives the contractor an opportunity to specialise in areas that interest them and hone their skills in that area. For example character modeling, character animation, vehicle modeling, track modeling etc. Once you begin to build a reputation as a specialist in your chosen area, it's not difficult to find game dev studios willing to outsource work... it's much more productive and cheaper for the developer to work this way than to hire and train their own staff.

I don't believe it'll be any more difficult to get a job in the indusrty then currently is, but it will make it easier for people already working in the industry to go out and start their own contracting business.

It's all called evolution, and those that cannot evolve toss up a stink and bitch about it all because they can't or won't be able to survive in the new environment.

That is some of the scariest news I have heard all year. I think that increasing the costs of producing games with better software is a way just toget rid of some of the competition in the game market.

This is serious!
Lets all pressure Dick mith to bring out an Aussie console!
Illegimate Sonys of Bitches

quote:Originally posted by lukeo25

This is serious!
Lets all pressure Dick mith to bring out an Aussie console!

The console would be unique in that you have to put it together yourself (with a soldering iron) and if you can't afford to buy it all at once, you can order the parts seperately.

"We have maybe 500 small development studios at the moment. We could have just 50 in two years' time."

This is a sign that the industry is growing up, our teething years are coming to a close and the guys who make millions by creating games in their garages aren't going to be able to cope with the demands of todays and tommorrows technology.

Cloud:

quote:I think that increasing the costs of producing games with better software is a way just toget rid of some of the competition in the game market.

Its not a conspiracy or anything like that, its the natural evolution of the medium, film has gone through it, so has the music industry now its our turn.

I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing, and I don't think its going to be a severve as that first statement portrayed, but it will happen to some degree sooner rather than later, in business everything gets refined, if you can't compete then you get left behind.

As for outsourcing, well thats been going on for quite a while already, can't see a problem with it continuing.

Dicky already did - http://www.aceadvanced.org/computers/dicksmith/vz200.htm @;-)

I used to own one of these. My first computer. *sighs at the memories*

And in both the movie and film industries we still see the little guys / indies making some sort of living, or at least good music / films, and it is the indies in both of these mediums where most of the innovation occurs too!.

Malus, I dont think it is a conspiracy.
I am mearly saying, as written in the articles, that the cost for producing games is rising fast and some of the smaller companies by not have that kind of money just waiting to be used.

There are extremely few (if any) independent developers producing games with that kind of budget now (ever?). Why would independent develpers decide that they suddenly have to produce $10mil titles?
CYer, Blitz

I pretty much see it the same as always. Indies will have to get smarter if they want to make any profit, it's just a matter of evolution.

quote:Originally posted by Daemin

It's all called evolution, and those that cannot evolve toss up a stink and bitch about it all because they can't or won't be able to survive in the new environment.

true that.