Not all developers have a clear vision, and leaders are not always competent.
Publishing Director of Larian Studios, Michael Douse, continues to share his vision of various things on social media. He recently joined a discussion about what is happening in the gaming industry.
In his opinion, a large budget in itself does not hinder creativity if the entire team is "moving in the same direction," and now it is easier than ever to find an audience for your project:
I don’t think a big budget automatically means it’s going to be ***** [something bad]. It just requires literally everyone involved to be pulling in the same direction to succeed – and that only happens 1 in 10 times, sadly. Finding an audience (even a pretty big one) is easier than ever, but the problem is the people in the traditional ‘production chain’ [note: effective managers]. They either see it as a risk to their business model or are unable to explain the benefits to investors.
Michael sees the problem in the model of public companies, which simply does not work in the entertainment industry:
The public company model is broken in entertainment – and that’s at a time when it’s easier than ever to connect creators directly with their audience. Half of the reason is dumb self-preservation instinct, and the other half is a lack of vision and leadership (or stupid leadership).
The need to report to investors and show company growth (profits) leads to publishers starting to avoid risks, betting on proven project formulas.
