Witcher 2 Dev: “Game Companies Should Put Fans Before Profits”

A key member of CD Projekt RED’s development team has criticised video game firms who prioritise profits at the expense of their fanbase – arguing that this leads to games which are nothing more than “an empty shell”.

[jc48573]

let me name two.

Capcom's games:

Asura's Wrath - True Ending DLC for a few bucks.

Street Fighter X Tekken - 12 characters DLC already on disc for 20 dollars.

[dedicatedtogamers]

It's a difficult balance. After all, aren't the fans the ones that are giving your company the profits?

[Godmars290]

But like US politics those on a company's board of directors are looking to please those in control of their jobs: the stockholders. Though its through long term relations and benefits from consumers they get their income, they've become overly focused on rewarding investors in the short term because if that doesn't happen enough times, they're fired. Nevermind all the mess involved with ensuring that they themselves receive large pay checks.

Frankly, I blame the popularity of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The woman might have been a decent writer but she was a delusional idealist who unwittingly preached selfishness and greed as higher intellectual concepts.

[TrendyGamers]

They really did that with Asura's Wrath?

[Hanso]

Sure lol its Capcom afterall

[prototypeknuckles]

Believe or not they did, to this day I still cant believe it, its really kind of sad, and to still have people defending capcom, smh.

[NYC_Gamer]

Its too bad most publishers/studios are greedy

[Treian]

Tell that to Capcom

[TenkoTAiLS]

And this is why everyone loves CD Projekt Red, not only for their games, and that they make DLC for free! But they also have that brilliant DRM Free digital store "Good Old Games". They really go out of their way for their fans and we respect them all the more for it.

[bumnut]

I love their games and how they treat customers. The amount of free content added to The Witcher 2 ensures that I will buy their future games.

Its a nice change to see someone respect their customers.

[KentBlake]

This.

[mobijoker]

New Bioware..........

The Old Bioware is now nothing but (EA+Casey Hudson+Laidlaw)'s Ware.......Not the one that Muzyka and Zeschuk built.....

I honestly want them to be as big as Valve........

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I think there needs to be a balance. Game companies exist because they are companies looking to make a profit. BUT I think they need to temper the thoughts of making profit with the concept of if we give all we can to the consumer with a good game, we will be rewarded by the consumer.

Bigger IP's/Devs/Publishers tend to lose sight of that as they know they will sell lots of games regardless so they tend to not want to give as much away or include all they can.

Just my two cents

[-MD-]

I love CD Projekt Red.

[TisMayo]

Gotta love them!<3

[Cirran]

My main problem with running a games company based on profits before fans is rushing the game. EA are terrible with it...Take dragon age for example, The difference in DAO and DA2 is dramatic and terrible just because EA wanted to cash in quickly on a sequel of a great game. Makes me sad ;<

[solar]

Gaben approves this message.

[ronin4life]

. “And if you make your game for fans, you’ll get profit anyway.

“If fans love the company, then you’re building a connection with people – and that’s exactly the kind of company I want to work for.”

And that connection earns you a strong reputation and farms profit. THAT IS HOW YOU RUN A GOOD BUSINESS.

How so many have lost sight of this is beyond me. Kudos to This company and the others out there following the same basic principle of good business.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

Atlus and From Software always have

[mobijoker]

True in most part.
But PC version of Dark Souls was a misstep....
But they admitted struggling to port to pc which most devs don't do...

[StrawberryDiesel420]

Yes, being a fan since Demon's Souls and buying the Deluxe Edition, Black Phantom Edition, and Dark Souls Collectors edtion I felt "Stabbed in the back" so to speak. PS3 gamers should have gotten the DLC way before the PC version came out with the extra content packed in.