Comment on Stop Killing Games is a new campaign to stop developers making games unplayable
gaylord_fartmaster@lemmy.world 2 months agoWhat are you basing this on? Publishers fund development, and that funding dictates where development time is spent. Publishers also absolutely can decide when support ends, see WB getting ready to delist a bunch of games adult swim games published from steam. The devs have no say over that.
SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Not every game needs funding and lots are self published.
And how many of those devs have made their own effort to get their games back out there? Lots. Publishers only control where the game is sold. It would make zero sense for these devs to spend the money to republish on their own since they would never recoup the costs. That’s why they have been them for free. They couldn’t before since the publisher controlled sales.
Unless the dev sold the rights to the game, the can choose to spend their own money on continuing it, why would they need external funding for that?
gaylord_fartmaster@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Yes, obviously games without publishers aren’t controlled by publishers. Even in those situations funding dictates development, because devs have to eat.
SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 2 months ago
So even with funding a dev studio should have profits coming in, they can either choose to pocket all of that, or save some for literally saving their game.
So it’s the publishers fault the devs spent it all instead of using some to protect their IP? I think you’ve just shot your argument in its foot with that last comment.
gaylord_fartmaster@lemmy.world 2 months ago
No, the dev should have revenue coming in, revenue that pays salaries that allows them to survive. If those salaries aren’t put towards efforts that will bring in more revenue then the revenue will stop and the business will no longer be sustainable.