PAX 07 Panel: Day 1
Developers as Francis Ford Coppola, Publishers as Paramount?
Tags: Penny Arcade Expo 2007 Categories: Features, Tech Features
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Aug 25th, 2007
Many a flop has been placed upon the shoulders of both publishers and developers. What is the source of this tension? As of late it seems to have taken on a more traditional Hollywood narrative, the publishers as uncaring producers, and developers as artistic directors. At PAX, Lindsay Gupton (Foundation 9 Entertainment) and John Williamson (Zombie Studios) sat down to discuss the issue.
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The day one panel titled Between A Rock And A Hard Place: The Relationship Between Publishers And Developers was delayed by nearly an hour due to a never-ending Jenga game leftover from the expo’s Omegathon, as a result the time left for the panel was reduced to a brief half an hour Due the abridgment a huge fraction of the panel was taken up just defining the nature of developers and publishers. Although the real problem seems to be when the philosophies do not mesh well, or as Gupton put it, “It is critical to find the right vibe to work together.”
Of course there are different aims, “Developers sell time, publishers sell boxes” said Gupton. It seems that these roles give rise to the conflicts, the publisher puts up the money to cover the cost of development, while the developers attempt to shape a vision. In spite of any tensions, it is always about business, or as Williams said, “If a game sells well all will be forgiven.”
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Tags: Penny Arcade Expo 2007
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Aug 25th, 2007 and is filed under Features, Tech Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
