Well, it looks like the controversy this week is revolving around Activistion and its actions toward developer Infinity Ward. Having taken the time to read comments, news reports and updates, I can come to one conclusion: they've both forgotten how to communicate in such a way that the game that is produced not just to line investors' pockets, but to retain and grow their collective fan base. Someone, somewhere missed that particular memo.

Infinity Ward, well known for its franchises, is a developer that simply wants to create games that people love. They've got it right. Remember, when you want to make money, the easiest way to start is by following your passion. Why? Very simple: if you do this, then you will also do the grunt work that setting up a successful business, or even game studio, requires. However, it does seem that there are may studios that have forgotten that the reason they develop games is for the fans. Consider the case of Damnation—those of you who have been reading PS3 Center for a while now know that I reviewed that game, and it wasn't pretty. In short, the graphics were sub-par, animations were horrid, voice acting was stilted, and physics were non-existent. This is a prime example of a title that could have been great but was rushed out to make money. The premise was solid—imagine a Western-style Steampunk game. Awesome! In practice, unfortunately, not so much.

Now obviously, a studio has to make money in order to remain profitable and continue developing games. A publisher can be a great asset, as it takes care of marketing and funding while allowing the studio to concentrate on simply creating the game it envisions—or at least that is how it is supposed to work. However, just like with venture capital funding, there are times when the concept a studio has come up with doesn't necessarily jive with what the publisher thinks will ultimately be profitable—after all, there is quite a solid reason to stick with the tried and true over the untested and new. For one thing, after a formula has been proven to generate sales, (which generates revenue, making shareholders happy), investors will usually want to keep things more or less the same. We all know what that means, whether it be games or movies: nearly identical products repackaged with new stories, new characters, or perhaps new weapons.

Although it may be fine for a developer to do this once or twice, over time they will want to create completely new stories, try new things, and generally be more creative and take more risks. Take Quantic Dream, developers of Heavy Rain, for example—we've all seen adventure games, shooters, fighters and exploration, and have also played titles that do all three. However, Heavy Rain ventured into untested waters by creating not simply a game, but an interactive drama (check out The Grumpy Gamer for more on this). This was a huge risk, as most people would readily admit to wanting to play games that help escape reality, not ones that makes you highly uncomfortable. However, Quantic Dream pulled it off, and Heavy Rain has gotten rave reviews.