Are First-Party Developers An Endangered Species?

With more and more in-house exclusive creators being wiped off the map, are the days of first-party developers now numbered?

[Volkama]

3rd party and indie devs have worse survival odds. Game development is a tough industry. For many reasons.

[shodan74]

It's true that it's a tough industry. But I can't remember a five-year period when so many first-party studios closed their doors.

[Commando_Bro]

I'm not surprised, the studio wasn't very productive.

They launched with Motorstorm at launch of the PS3. 2-3 years later they come with Motorstorm Pacific Rift. The game only has 4 tracks. 2 years and only 4 tracks??? The game looked great and played well but paying 60$ for 4 tracks? Compared to Split Second, it's not much.

then Driveclub came. The game was supposed to launch with the PS4, they delayed the game 1 year.
Then they launch the game, the network wasn't working.
A few weeks you could play, but get dropped out.
A few months later you could play this "social racer".
Then it took another year and a half to get thew much promised graphics of weather that was supposed to be there at launch.

Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't close it down at the same time as Zipper Interactive.
I wish there would be a MAG 2. Now that the PS4 has that install base, they could create something better than MAG. No "3 factions" just player clans with all guns available.

[freshslicepizza]

the costs including marketing isn't very sustainable. plus it takes years now to promote with far too many delays.

this is why it makes sense to collaborate and contract out like sony did with bloodborne and what microsoft is doing with quantum break.

[Blastoise]

@Commando_Bro

Motorstorm Pacific Rift didn't have 4 tracks at all, did you even play it?

It has 16 tracks, double the amount of the first game and they added jungles, volcanoes, beaches, mountains amongst others

Did you just google it and assume the Earth, Fire, Air & Water catagories were tracks? :S

[Forn]

@Commando

Motorstorm Pacific Rift was amazing imo, and had far more than 4 tracks. I agree though that with Driveclub, the launch could have, and should have been much better than it went down.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Making movies and video games are so expensive and are a such a high risk .

[Herbalistic]

Any studio 1st or 3rd party will end up being closed down if they can't produce meaningful profit.The gaming industry is like any other business your studio/store or w/e is only safe long as returns keeps coming in.

[ScorpiusX]

First party anything always have uncertainties to worry about . Its like my grandfather says if its not making a return then its time to go or to make it simple there are only two things Guaranteed and those are death & taxes .

[Omnisonne]

Studios end and new studios form. Sucks sometimes but its always been that way, first party or not

[gangsta_red]

No studio is safe. You make under performing, crappy games you won't be around for long.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Even if studios make great games but do not sell that good, they can still get shut down.

Unfortunately it is all about making a profit .

[Sevir]

No industry is fool proof, it's all volatile, whether you be independent, indie with a contract working with a 3rd party publishers,, Second party, 3rd party or first party. It's simply a tricky business landscape to navigate.

The best go through tough times no matter what banner you go identify, their are perks and advantages to balance the negatives and disadvantages... independent studios close and shutter, if a title doesn't sell. Indies with contracts working with 3rd parties shutter if a game doesn't meet the vision of the punlisher, second party devs (indies with working relationship with platform/first party publishers) close if the financial investment is greater than the profit expected, especially if the partnership is terminated...

No ones safe from surveying the business climate...

What has happened to Lionhead, Zipper, Ensemble, Evolution, and other studios is unfortunate but proper business practices, it's not easy but these things keep the industry moving, these studios May shutter but the people go on to new teams and create better things while New teams are formed from the ashes of the old...

Nothing is truly lost they all get cycled into somewhere else in the industry to contribute...

So no First party isn't endangered, neither are Indies, second party, or 3rd party. It's healthy for an industry to trim the fat and circulate and graft to somewhere else. It is unfortunate. Simply show your support and wish all affected well.

These devs at Evolution will evolve and become greater it's simply the nature of the business and flow of the video game industry

[BattleAxe]

First party developers will always be around, but they need to produce high quality games, that get high ratings and sell very well.

As I see it at this point in time, in Sony's case, Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica and Guerrilla Games are untouchable. I think any studio outside of these four are always up for re-evaluation.

With Microsoft, 343 Industries, The Coalition and Turn 10 are untouchable. I think the new normal will be, that platform holders like Sony and Microsoft will have 3-5 main studios for their first party needs, and let the rest be done by indies and 3rd party publishers/developers.

[Fist4achin]

It sucks to see studios get shut down and developers lose jobs. However, some studios get shut down bc their resources might be shifted to other developments or other studios altogether. I just miss some of the game's that come out of these studios. I wonder if we'll ever see another good fable game or wipeout.