Media firms rarely move the industry forward

Media companies moving into the games industry rarely move the sector forward, claims Eugene Evans.

Speaking at the Develop in Brighton conference, the Bioware Mythic GM recalled his time at at US studio Icom Simulations, which was eventually sold to Viacom in 1994 as part of its New Media arm.

He said that the media giant was one of a number of firms that had invested in gaming, and then quickly pulled out having spent alot of money without making much, if any, in return.

He said however that in the case of Viacom, it was one of the few firms that pulled out doing the least amount of damage to the industry and developers.

"My conclusions with Viacom was that media companies have rarely, if ever, been the companies that move this business forward," said Evans.

"That acquisition with Viacom was one of a number of a companies that did it at the time, and they all bailed from it without making much money.

"Some of these companies blew through an unbelievable amount of money."