Kickstarter has done something fascinating to the market. I don't think anyone was on-board with donating their money to teeny developers with a glimmer in their eye of a cool idea, but then Tim Schafer showed everyone the potential when he said, "Hey! You know that cool game that everyone's always wanted me to make? If enough of you give us money, we can make that game!"
NOW Kickstarter has become a place of dream-fulfillment, with all the old dusty genres that have been ignored getting some recognition from the many fans that have been patiently waiting for something new. New Wing Commanderesque games, new adventure games, old school RPGs. Stuff that the people wanted, but the market was pretty sure we didn't.
That puts big companies like EA at a disadvantage, because if they say, "We want to do a Kickstarter for The Sims 4!" everyone's going to laugh at them and say, "Do it yourself!"
The market is shifting. Companies like EA and Ubisoft can put millions into their games, but they're going to play it safe since that's what big companies do. If you're a tiny indie developer, you're going to get overlooked in a sea of tiny developers. All the excitement is happening with proven developers from days' past who are finally able to get the funding to make that game they always wanted to make, and middle-of-the-road type companies like Telltale Games and Doublefine.
It makes me wonder if people aren't going to start seeing through the mega-corporate smoke-and-mirrors and start looking for innovation, which is where it should always have looked...
Topic: General Game News (Read 325212 times)
