I know that there is anumber of sweatshop CGI rendering companies in russia, where they make a full intro/cut-scenes/end game sequences for like 3$K. It includes labor of 3-5 people for 2-3 weeks. Those guys are so dedicated and experienced, all you have to do is provide a text with your idea what you want to see. If you have high-poly models, or at least low poly as a fundation, it goes even faster. But they hate their jobs
Amen to that! The current generation has done little to excite me, and the next generation is looking grim. As I have said before, now is a good time to play some of those classics that I missed back in the day.
i agree that the next gen games are getting 3-5 times more expensive then the actual generation but is that so shocking ? what where the figures when xbox arrived and/ or ps2 while they took over the place of ps1 / dreamcast and the other old gen consoles, they werent cheap either so are their any numbers that we could compare ?
What I think the industry should do to increase profits in this comming generation: 1. Sell games starting at $60 instead of $50. Offer pre-order bonuses as often as possible for incentive to buy games new instead of waiting till the price drops (cheap things to produce, like different cover art, 'making-of' dvd, etc.) 2. Sell the game online instead of with retailers, with the only copies going to retailers on day one being those that were pre-ordered. If widely adopted, for those that don't use the net, alow retailers to special order specific games for customers at slightly inflated prices (so they make a profit without cutting into the developers/publishers). They make most of their money off used game sales anyway. 3. For PC games, sell digital copies online asside from physical ones to remove production costs.
With video games fast gaining on Hollywood as the popular form of entertainment for the 20-something crowd, it is easy to see why these video game companies are willing to throw so much money at one game that could be hit or miss. Look at the average movie's budget, and then look at how often these mega-million dollar movies tank at the box office (heck, look at the ammount of trash put out this year alone). It is all a gamble, you win some and lose some. If you spend 10 million making a game and it is a hit, you will reap the benefits (profits, more hardware sales, company image boost, etc) ten-fold, but if you make a turd of a game, it really won't hurt you near as bad, you just have to market that turd damn well and you can still recap some of your investment. All in all, I see this generation of gaming overtaking the movie industry as the popular entertainment medium, which more than justifies the costs put into each game.
