Games cost money to make. We all know that, but most of us would be lying if we claimed we knew the exact numbers that go into each stage of production. The community has had a chance to get a little closer to the process through the wonders of Kickstarter, yet that hasn’t stopped even fans of Double Fine from becoming a bit skeptical over the company’s recent request for additional Broken Age funds. It was a success story that most believed had plenty of money to be produced, but according to legendary game designer American McGee, we shouldn’t be complaining.
"Just want to say to all the press, public and others who are gnashing their fangs at Kickstarter, Double Fine and anyone they think look "fishy," you can't have it both ways," he said in a blog post. "You can't complain about big publishers and their bad business models – highlighting all the times they've pushed overpriced, buggy, unfinished product onto the shelves in hopes of a quick buck. Then when an indie developer lays bare their business model and struggles, crucify them for taking risks and being honest.”
We haven’t really seen the Kickstarter model proven quite yet. Feel-good stories like Double Fine show that fans can help get specific games off that ground that wouldn’t be created otherwise, but that doesn’t mean that the final product will satisfy the thousands of backers financially supporting it. Game development isn’t a magical process – developers make mistakes and even misjudge budgets. However, McGee feels that we should embrace the transparency of studios like Double Fine.
"Things are going to go sideways and sometimes horribly wrong. Instead of wanting to murder someone when they level with you about these facts, embrace them,” he continued. “The choice is yours – support transparency, honesty and constructive involvement… or don't complain when the industry shrugs and shifts back to a model dominated by monolithic, uncaring publishers."