Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer says he doesn\u2019t know why the games industry hasn\u2019t seen a positive change in fortunes for a while, but assumes it\u2019s due to greed.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the BBC<\/a> discussing the studio\u2019s departure from Xbox<\/a> and return to full independence, Schafer was asked whether he felt the economics of games had changed in recent years.<\/p>\n He replied that he doesn\u2019t feel he knows how the economics of games work any more, because it used to be cycle of ups and downs and now he hasn\u2019t seen an \u2018up\u2019 for a while.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand the economics of making games to be honest,\u201d Schafer explained. \u201cI often for years thought I understood them, because there are layoffs, which is bad, and then the people who make games realise \u2018oh, we need people to make games\u2019, the executives are like \u2018oh, we fired everybody, we need some people to make this game\u2019, they hire them back, and then they\u2026 you know.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I always assume \u2018oh, there\u2019ll be this cycle of ups and downs, and ups and downs\u2019. But it\u2019s been down for, like, four years, and I don\u2019t know why. I really don\u2019t, because people are playing games, and people are making money, so I don\u2019t know why there\u2019s a big loss of jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cI just assume it\u2019s, like, someone is being greedy somewhere. But I hope it is a cycle, and I hope it bounces back.\u201d<\/p>\n Schafer added that while the layoffs tend to be more vicious in the AAA space, indie developers are also at risk, and he hopes for a future where developers can focus on their work, rather than whether they\u2019ll still have work soon.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of life and and excitement and creativity in the games industry now, especially in the indie space,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not one of those snobs who says only indie games are creative. I think a lot of AAA games do a lot of great creative work.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just that, it\u2019s been a much more violent place to work in AAA, you know, much more stressful, and your work is often not as rewarded, because you will get laid off as soon as you finish your game. But in indie games, there\u2019s no guarantee of being not \u2013 not laid off \u2013 but out of money after you ship your game. So, they both have their risks.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what I\u2019ve learned is that people in the games industry didn\u2019t just come here for the stability, or come here for the lifestyle. They came here because they just had it in their head that there was no other choice but they had to work in games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just what they decided they\u2019re going to do, and they love it, and so they\u2019re willing to take that risk, and hopefully that risk becomes\u2026 I do want the games industry to become a where creative people are given the space to do creative work for the benefit of all of us, and don\u2019t have to worry about their jobs and supporting their families to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n