BioWare co-founder: game execs "have never made a game" and don't get it
Game industry executives who haven’t made or seriously played games are increasingly blamed for risk‑averse, microtransaction‑driven blockbusters and the decline of once‑beloved studios like BioWare. Commenters contrast AAA publishers’ shareholder‑driven logic and unstable, high‑budget development cycles with smaller or independent teams that can pursue coherent creative visions, while noting that talent loss, culture shifts, and wider industry hiring and management practices also shape outcomes.
AAA vs Indie Creativity
- Many argue “truly creative” games are more likely from indies; AAA chases shareholder-safe formulas, huge budgets, and cinematic polish.
- Others say indie output has its own stagnation and shovelware, and AAA has produced innovative or memorable titles; overall volume of “good games” may be rising but buried in noise.
- AA / mid-tier studios (e.g., CRPG makers, some Japanese developers) are seen as a lost but important middle ground between micro‑indie and mega‑AAA.
What Makes Games Fun
- Several posters stress fun mechanics first, with narrative serving the gameplay; monetization-driven design (loot boxes, grind, live-service) is seen as anti-fun.
- Others counter that fun and creativity/novelty are hard to separate, and consumer markets are diverse: some want tight mechanics, others story-heavy epics or cozy sims.
Executives, MBAs, and Domain Knowledge
- Strong sentiment that many gaming execs neither make nor seriously play games, and manage via KPIs instead of understanding player experience.
- Some defend non-technical leadership: big companies inevitably need business-focused execs, but those leaders must still respect and protect creative teams.
- Comparison is made to film/music publishing: big firms industrialize culture, minimize risk, and buy smaller innovators.
BioWare, AAA Mismanagement, and Risk
- BioWare’s recent output (Anthem, Andromeda, Veilguard) is widely cited as evidence of leadership failure: chasing live-service trends, muddled vision, and weak writing versus earlier story-centric RPGs.
- Others emphasize that making hit games is inherently risky; many studios fail quietly. Even passionate teams often struggle to know what will be fun.
- One long quoted view blames demographic and cultural shifts (hiring for diversity, loss of original staff) for eroding studio “institutional capacity,” though other comments focus more on EA-style business pressures, turnover, and project churn.
Industry Structure, Scale, and AI
- AAA projects’ multi-year, hundreds‑million‑dollar budgets make them extremely risk‑averse yet oddly extravagant.
- Some see future in extremely large “AAAA+” productions or in indie collaboration/collectives to share resources.
- Others note oversupply (now worsened by AI sludge) makes discoverability hard, but success for small studios is still possible with standout games.
Careers and Hobbyism
- Multiple replies tell would‑be older entrants: start as a hobbyist, build mods or small games, then use a portfolio.
- Many describe the industry as a great hobby but a harsh, unstable career with long hours, layoffs, and intense competition.