Gaming Industry: Developers moving on - but why?

          Cliff Bleszinski – Dude Huge; Cliffy B, if you will – has departed Epic Games. It's a sad time, when one of the great designers and innovators in the way we play, and view games, decides to move on. Though, after 20 years, you can't really blame a guy, either. Some of the best games I've played in recent years have come through Epic games, and under Cliff's eye – Unreal Tournament, and Gears of War, being fairly operative. He's left an indelible mark, that will undoubtedly shape the future of gaming, and gamers, everywhere.

          Then, I think of others who've moved on, recently – Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, founders of BioWare – again, nearly two decades. Is there something about the 20 year milestone? Shigeru Miyamoto – though not a true retirement – stepped down, and took a less 'direct' role late last year, and Walter Day, renowned for his game score-keeping, called it quits in 2010 (Ok, he's not technically a developer, but you get the gist). Eventually you start to wonder, is it just that these people, and others, are done, ready to move onto the next chapter in their life, or is it that the face of gaming has changed to much, from where it once was? Could it be that, instead of the innovation of technology, methods to tell stories, and producing new and inventive ways to immerse players, that the landscape has instead become to muddied by corporate expansionism, acquisitions, stagnant creation, and repetitive cycling? Or, maybe it's something to do with the increase in digital sales, over traditional retail, having a direct impact on how DRM and piracy concerns are managed in the age of the Internet.

          Late last year, and earlier this year, there was an issue, with major UK retail station, GAME, which being the largest of the market in Europe, lost favor among major developers in the wake of its falling stock, and plummeting revenue. Unfortunately, the only thing soaring for GAME, at the time, was its operating costs. Eventually they went into administration, and were purchased by OpCapita. What this is, is a telling story on the distribution model of games today, EA promised to go totally digital in the future – and then there's the fallout of used games market, something companies including EA have taken an interest in eliminating, likely with an increase in the digital distribution market, thereby capping the total flow of lost, "potential," revenue.

          With all that together, maybe it's not just a hanging it up, but a moving on, to greener pastures, for game designers like Cliffy B, and the beloved, "Doctors." Things are certainly different, and there's a lot more corporate influence than ever before, with the need for higher profit gains, faster output, and repetitive game features and clones. If anything, it's a time to stop and assess the situation – what can we do about it, and how can we keep the strong growing indie sector from coming under the clamp, too?