Hare: Devs being cornered into making dumbed down games

Executives and middlemen just looking to make money are inadvertently sabotaging the art form of game development, says Sensible Software co-founder Jon Hare.

Speaking to Develop, Hare said hardware companies; financiers and accountants were more focused on making money than the evolution of the products on offer.

He argued that developers are increasingly being cornered to making dumbed down, free games to generate revenue, and said this was creating a big restriction on the types of games developers could make that would be commercially viable.

Hare added that all the developers making original games will end up earning “next to nothing”, and could end up going out of business for trying to create new IP.

“The inadvertent sabotage of the art form of making games by hardware companies, service companies, accountants, financiers and other middlemen trying to extract their slice with no care for the evolution of the products on offer,” said Hare of what disappoint’s him about today’s industry.

“We have been cornered into making increasingly dumbed down, free games. However you argue that, a zero price point fundamentally devalues the art of game making, and also creates a big restriction on the type of games you can create which are commercially viable.

“Meanwhile, well over 80 per cent of developers making original games will earn next to nothing for their efforts and either go out of business or make shovelware for the rest of their lives.”

You can read our full interview with the Sensible Softare co-founder here.