He pointed out that one of WBD’s latest big games, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, was a disappointment for the company.
[…]
“Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live-service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?” he said.
How do you say “whoooosh” in corporate?
Something like “I believe your project fell short of expectations due to prioritization of the wrong metrics.”
Still obsessed with the live service gravy train I see. When will they learn? Most people play games for fun, not to live in them. Most game companies failed to replicate WoW’s success because they first focussed on monetization instead of a good experience first. Most companies failed at the live service, also because of it. They focussed on monetization rather than a fun experience.
WB’s CEO thinks that Suicide Squad failed not because it was a terrible game but because no one wants to play a Suicide Squad game. So he thinks Hogwarts based live service would do great because Hogwarts Legacy did well. Talk about not actually understanding what your customers want.
I hate to say it, but they may be right when it comes to Harry Potter. That IP is on the level of Pokémon where regular people will play simply because they’re obsessed with the IP even if the game is rotten with monetization. I hope I’m wrong, Niantic’s failure with their Harry Potter game is evidence I may be.
What does he mean by work? Could either be admitting that they are going to throw in excessive grind that’s not fun to do (either to pad and/or drive IAP boosts), or is there going to be a metaverse inside of Hogwarts where coworkers are expected to meet to discuss what could be just a zoom call or email? Strange thing to say.
Welp who could’ve predicted this?? 🤔🤔
It sucks how “free to play” has become synonymous with garbage.
Because it usually means that you lower the quality of the complete experience to extract money from people willing to put money into it.
On my “lotto list” is starting a game studio to make my favorite daydream… a free to play isometric mmorpg with a bunch of unique mechanics that so far havent been seen in online gaming (to my knowledge) including non predatory ways for me to make money.
Id make an awesome rich guy.
Meanwhile I’ve been constantly thinking “I could probably make some piece of shit in Unity called Give Me Money that is just a big green button that takes $50 from your bank account and deposits it into mine and enough people would still buy the game and press the button that I could probably never have to work again.”
Kinda reminds me of gold bar app from the beginning of apple app store
Pride and accomplishment?
Curt Schilling tried that and lost over $100M of his own money, but he’s also a massive asshole in all regards. I wish you better luck.
Oh it would be a massive risk. Id bring some devs in to consult and be like “Just how insane am I” before I dropped serious coin.
That company was so odd, cause usually companies that mismanage their money into bankruptcy don’t also make a great game, and yet Kingdoms of Amalur was amazing.
I’m the same way, but I’m hoping to start with an isometric MP remake of a SP strategy game I loved as a kid, with a handful of unique mechanics.
If that goes well, I want to bring those mechanics into an MMORPG setting. I really want to make a strategy MMORPG where players initially engage with the game in a traditional MMORPG sense (quests, level up, etc), and later engage with the strategy aspects (raids against other factions, cross faction diplomacy, controlling territory, etc).
But alas, I don’t have the time, skills, money, or motivation to make it a thing right now.
its because people are always chasing what’s new. its the goldfish brain that people have (play whats new and get bored with it quick and switch games) that is ome of the causes or developers to keep developing new titles.
Sweet, less games I need to worry about playing.
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Fucking gross…
Work … in a game …
“So, we alienated some people with our Harry Potter game and we alienated a lot of people with our soulless, live-service Suicide Squad game. What if we just combined those together?”
Genius business strategy WB. Although, given how well Hogwarts did there are probably plenty of people out there who would go for that.
