Uh, what? (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, April 06, 2016, 23:25 (3159 days ago) @ Kahzgul

This is generally a false claim. The bigger the game with the more money involved, the more likely it is to be less innovative and to stick to the formula that the company knows will make money. This is why Madden is the same + 1 feature every year. And CoD, and Tony Hawk, and Guitar Hero, etc etc etc.

Companies would rather ensure that they're going to get their money back.

A failure for a large company is less costly than a failure for an indie studio. As an indie, if you game doesn't sell it could mean shutting down the company. A larger studio or one with a big publisher can take a hit. The profit motive is far more important in the indie world.

Even if we grant your premise, at least that would mean large publishers are at worst being stagnant. Smaller studios go backwards with games that could have been made in and belong in previous decades.

The major shifts you see in design almost all come about by a company who has a lot of backing to create something new. Indie games are generally more risk averse than AAA!

Why hasn't kickstarter created a revolution of industry leading game titles? After all, with that there is zero need to make a profit.