This Week in Business is our weekly recap column, a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check back every Friday for a new entry.
Yelling is not journalism
14.08.2023 - 18:15 / gamedeveloper.com
IGN just released a video called “Baldur’s Gate 3 is causing some developers to panic.” You can watch it here if you haven’t. The video has gotten a lot of game developers upset, and has gotten a lot of gamers up in arms. The crux of the video is a negative reaction to a series of tweets by Xalavier Nelson Jr talking about how Baldur's Gate 3 isn't a reasonable bar for most RPGs going forward.
I decided to comment on this as a former journalist myself, after few people told me that the video “raises a good point.” I will first say that no point is raised in this video. The video instead asks a rhetorical question that has been posed ad nauseum since the advent of DLC: why can’t triple-A games come out with perfect polish from day 1?
If it were me, and I worked as a journalist, and I had a question, and that question had been asked by players constantly since the advent of DLC, I would attempt to do some journalism to find out the answer. Why CAN’T they do this, if the same question has been floating out there for nearly 20 years? Clearly this is not an easy answer if it has been around for such a long time.
Instead of talking to people and attempting to answer that question, IGN’s Destin Legarie chooses to make a reaction video, multiple times admitting he doesn’t know anything about the subject, but is simply angry. This is not what journalism should be, starting from the fact no attempt has been made to learn to pronounce Xalavier’s name, the main dev who he is criticizing in the video. It is likewise irresponsible to say that Xalavier’s tweets go on to “give a lot of good context” but then not share what that context is or attempt to understand it. (I also feel I should point out that Xalavier is not a triple-A dev, he is a very notable indie.)
Using “angry gamer” language when no research has been done, as admitted by the videographer, along with naming a bunch of game devs and showing their tweets, invites angry fans to go harass them, which is of course what is happening. This reminds devs of 2014 and naturally we Do Not Like It.
But back to the content of the video, Legarie asks why developers like Larian, Nintendo, and FromSoftware can release something so polished while others can’t, but makes no effort to find out the answer. So let’s get into it.
In the abstract, here’s a big part of it: Games release in imperfect states because devs either run out of money or the shareholders of their parent company mandate that a game must come out in a certain window (which devs have no control over). They run out of money trying to make the best game possible in the least amount of time. Devs rarely control their own budget and they are trying to make as much cool stuff as they can with the time they are
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
pcgamer.com
01.09.2023 / 13:37
Having issues with Starfield's FOV? Well you're not alone, but luckily there's already a fix
Starfield is in many ways the most polished Bethesda game at launch ever. However, that still hasn't stopped the developer shipping the game with a few noticeable omissions when it comes to display options on PC.
eurogamer.net
25.08.2023 / 12:21
Baldur's Gate 3's first major update is so big, the patch notes exceeded Steam's text limit
Larian has released its first «major» update for Baldur's Gate 3, and when the studio said major it wasn't kidding.
gamesradar.com
24.08.2023 / 20:25
Jamie Foxx to play God in Not Another Church Movie
Jamie Foxx is set to play God in Not Another Church Movie, a new comedy from director Johnny Mack.
gameranx.com
23.08.2023 / 18:49
Bethesda’s Pete Hines Urges Players To Not Skip Activities In Starfield
There are some big games still slated to hit the marketplace this year. Starfield is one of the biggest and most anticipated titles for Xbox Series X/S and PC players. We’ve been waiting on this game for years. Bethesda initially unveiled this game as a next-generation exclusive, but of course, since then, we have seen ZeniMax Media get acquired by Microsoft. So, with this game quickly approaching its release date, the developers behind Starfield have continued to market this game as much as possible. With Gamescom going on, Pete Hines recently commented to fans during the Xbox livestream on what not to skip out on.
rockpapershotgun.com
23.08.2023 / 18:09
Endless Dungeon's closed beta for the part-tower defence, part-roguelite, part-squad tactics not-sequel to Dungeon of the Endless kicks off next month
Endless devs Amplitude Studios have announced a closed beta for their long-in-the-works, not-quite-a-sequel to Dungeon of the Endless, the not-at-all confusingly titled Endless Dungeon, and it’s happening next month.
gamesradar.com
23.08.2023 / 12:23
One of Steam's most-wishlisted games is out next month, but not before three beta weekends
Chaotic brawler Party Animals is hosting three closed beta weekends before it launches next month in September.
destructoid.com
22.08.2023 / 16:49
Banned Twitch users can soon be blocked from watching streams, not just chatting
Despite numerous controversies over the years, Twitch remains the biggest platform for streaming and broadcasting video game content. However, the Amazon-owned site has recently tried to implement better features to help users moderate their channels, and it looks a new tool is on the way.
eurogamer.net
22.08.2023 / 16:15
Ron Gilbert not keen on Monkey Island movie adaptation as it could make Guybrush "too much of a buffoon"
Video game film and TV adaptations seem to be coming at us from all directions these days, however Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert isn't keen to see his piratical puzzler head in this direction.
comingsoon.net
22.08.2023 / 14:53
Why Is The Bachelorette Finale Not on Hulu & When Will It Come Out?
Fans eager to watch finale on Hulu are frustrated and disappointed at how season 20 episode 9 isn’t yet available for streaming. Many would-be viewers have been posting to social media, asking Hulu Support “When will The Bachelorette finale come out?” Here’s what we know about the delayed finale.
pcgamer.com
17.08.2023 / 20:53
Believe it or not, Ubisoft is doing another Skull and Bones closed beta later this month
You have to give credit to Ubisoft for persistence: Another developer might've scuttled Skull and Bones ages ago, but Yves Guillemot and co. keep blowing into its sails, trying to propel it forward, and so it is that another Skull and Bones closed beta is coming next week.
pcgamer.com
16.08.2023 / 14:37
Short kings face another injustice as Baldur's Gate 3 size differences stop them macking on their love interests properly
Even in a fantasy world, the short kings, queens, and monarchs in non-binary finery among us don't get the treatment they deserve. This time, the injustice is taking place in Baldur's Gate 3, and it's perhaps the worst violation yet of the rights and dignity of our comrades of diminished stature: They can't kiss Karlach, the game's resident hot Tiefling girlfriend.