Analyst Evan Wilson at Pacific Crest Securities says publishers would make more cash by treating developers as stars
Feeling a little under-represented by your publisher? If so than their failure to make you the start of the show is costing them revenues according to one analyst.
Speaking to MTV's Multiplayer blog, Evan Wilson, senior research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, has said that publishers would see 'financial successes coming from elevating talent, and making them a reason a consumer is interested in your project from the get-go'.
“There are very few people in this world who know how to create hits. Not create a hit, but create multiple hits,” said Wilson. “Those creative minds should be recognized and remunerated in the video game industry for their contribution as much as other forms of media. From a business perspective, that might be more expensive, but if the reward is better selling games the trade-off is worth it.”
Wilson added that publishers must stop seeing developers as another cog in their corporate machine - whereas in other fields they are the ultimate commodity.
"If George Lucas died today the probability of another Star Wars installment would go to 0 per cent. If Stallone died today, the probability of another Rambo installment would go to 0 per cent.
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“In the video game industry developers usually do not have ultimate control over intellectual property,” he said. “[In most cases], publishers do…I think much of this has to do with the perception of video games as ‘technology’ and not ’stories.’”
Michael, not sure if elavating the creative egos of a few would cut any ice with the people who actually buy the games. I asked my 17 year son Olie whether he wanted to know which people developed the games and he said "EA developed this game - what do i care which particular people worked on it?". There was more to his answer than simply dismissing the people dimension for that of the publisher. It is really very true that in the games business at least - the producer still remains a very small part of the overall magic. But i do understand your point.
