Brink boss: PC-only sales cannot justify triple-A budgets

"Splash Damage boss Paul Wedgwood has said that PC-only projects simply cannot attract enough money from publishers to create triple-A results.

"About two or three years ago we realised that we really wouldn't survive if we only made PC games, since purely making PC games was incompatible with our goal of making triple-A games," said the developer, demoing current project Brink yesterday at the EG Expo in Leeds.

"You just can't get the publisher budget to ever [use] an orchestra in London, and then go and record at Abbey Road and get the best voice actors if you're only going to release on the PC, where there isn't the sales to justify that kind of work."

Wedgwood added: "Because we needed to make that transition, I started playing console games," and that he now plays "a lot more time playing console stuff" than PC games.

Wedgwood's background is from the PC mod scene. He told the Expo audience that he originally resisted console gaming because he considered himself to be "hardcore PC guy," but "loved it" and got "more and more into it".

For the record, Brink looks properly, properly awesome. Hopefully we'll be able to show it to you soon. It's out for PC, 360 and PS3 next spring."

http://www.vg247.com/2009/10/28/brink-boss-pc-only-projects-cannot-justify-triple-a-budgets/

Does this mean the end of PC exclusives ?

*shrugs*

Most AAA budget games are multiplatform nowadays, unless its a title published and funded exclusively by a console manufacturer.

Not that its hurting the amount of quality of titles on the PC platform, at all.

TOR, Secret War, SC2, Diablo, Aion etc say no.

I think cross platform games can be a good thing provided they use a good set of tools that allows EVERYONE to get a good experience. Notable exceptions include.

Orange Box on PS3

GTA4 on PC

Battle for Middle Earth on 360

All the above games are enjoyable on **some** platforms. This is not acceptable. Hopefully, x-platform tools from Epic and Crytek will address these issues.

PC gaming is insane atm, I'm just playing a new game called "Torchlight" which most people have never heard of; its a *good* Diablo clone. It's exclusive to PC, download only; frankly there's too many games out there for PC.

thats the case for ya, PC gamers ruin their own industry because of their selfish belief they deserve every thing for free and often including the game it self.

thats the case for ya, PC gamers ruin their own industry because of their selfish belief they deserve every thing for free and often including the game it self.

WilliamRLBaker

I hope people realise he is an arcade racing developer (Think Burnout) so please don't be too hard on him.

Bringing up games like Starcraft, Diablo or Empire won't change the fact that the genre he is developing games in can't survive on the PC alone if it has a AAA budget (not GS score here but production value and time developing on the game) as that genre is pretty weak (in sales not in quality) on the PC.

Blizzard proves otherwise. But, then again, most AAA games are multiplatform. The PS3 AAAE didn't sell very well.

Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.Nidget

What a bleak future, mediocrity as far the eye can see.

I hope people realise he is an arcade racing developer (Think Burnout) so please don't be too hard on him.

Bringing up games like Starcraft, Diablo or Empire won't change the fact that the genre he is developing games in can't survive on the PC alone if it has a AAA budget (not GS score here but production value and time developing on the game) as that genre is pretty weak (in sales not in quality) on the PC.

JLF1

*shrugs*

Most AAA budget games are multiplatform nowadays, unless its a title published and funded exclusively by a console manufacturer.

Not that its hurting the amount of quality of titles on the PC platform, at all.

skrat_01

[QUOTE="Nidget"]Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.Flanker15

What a bleak future, mediocrity as far the eye can see.

i doubt DD sales are that high either.Nidget

[QUOTE="Nidget"]Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.Flanker15

What a bleak future, mediocrity as far the eye can see.

I'm a console gamer and I have to agree with this.

[QUOTE="Flanker15"]

[QUOTE="Nidget"]Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.ThePRAssassin

What a bleak future, mediocrity as far the eye can see.

I'm a console gamer and I have to agree with this.

Most AAA are funded by first parrty companies which the PC does not have.

Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.Nidget

And yet companies like Valve and Epic could produce AAA quality titles on very small budgets.

Blizzard proves otherwise. But, then again, most AAA games are multiplatform. The PS3 AAAE didn't sell very well.

ChrisJ2004

Exclusive sales on the whole don't justify triple A budgets. That's why most AAA games are multi-platform unless funded by the parent console company. PC doesn't have anyone like that really so ...

[QUOTE="ChrisJ2004"]

Blizzard proves otherwise. But, then again, most AAA games are multiplatform. The PS3 AAAE didn't sell very well.

dc337

And yet companies like Valve and Epic could produce AAA quality titles on very small budgets.

treedoor

Very small budgets? Valve is not PC exclusive.

Mose PC bashing from dc337? I don't understand how blizzard is any different from any other developer. They all start out small.

JangoWuzHere

TOR, Secret War, SC2, Diablo, Aion etc say no.

I think cross platform games can be a good thing provided they use a good set of tools that allows EVERYONE to get a good experience. Notable exceptions include.

Orange Box on PS3

GTA4 on PC

Battle for Middle Earth on 360

All the above games are enjoyable on **some** platforms. This is not acceptable. Hopefully, x-platform tools from Epic and Crytek will address these issues.

PC gaming is insane atm, I'm just playing a new game called "Torchlight" which most people have never heard of; its a *good* Diablo clone. It's exclusive to PC, download only; frankly there's too many games out there for PC.

hywel69

I would be so much more worried if it weren't for the fact that some of the best games this gen (World of Goo, Patapon, SOASE, Braid, Audiosurf etc.) weren't developed on AAA budgets.

"You just can't get the publisher budget to ever [use] an orchestra in London, and then go and record at Abbey Road and get the best voice actors if you're only going to release on the PC"

Just a thought: maybe don't blow all your money on the London Symphony Orchestra? Maybe also hire some GOOD voice actors instead of just famous ones? Like how Patrick Stewart was in Oblivion for like 5 minutes? Maybe Bethesda could have not paid him a gazillion dollars for a days worth of work, and maybe hired a hobo for twenty bucks/a sandwich?

PC games don't have the advantage of massive advertising campaigns like console games do, but I still think that developers can easily trim some fat off these so-called "rising development costs."

Does this mean the end of PC exclusives ?

wayne_kar

So to sum up it means few big budgeted PC exclusives. There will always be some though, in genres that don't do well on consoles especially in MMORPGs or RTSes. Like for example Tera: Exiled Realms of Arborea, upcoming Korean MMORPG, PC exclusive, budget over30million $.

But generally PC exclusives, while numerous, will be from the small to medium category. Which isn't bad if you think about it, PCgaming has always been all about hardcore, complex, niche games and such games aren't possible to make if you're working with triple A budget

Blizzard isn't a typical developer anyways.

dc337

Splash Damage is the developer behind some of the most amazing multiplayer shooters ever, such Quake 3 Fortress, Enemy Territory and ET: Quake Wars (this last one the most deep and polished multiplayer fps since BF2). Sadly, some of these games were free mods, and the QW sales were a bit lacking, because instead of the way taken by Red Orchestra/Killing Floor team (low budget projects) the foundings spent in QW were high. Also, the QW ports to consoles were dull.

But some developers must take the "consoles bonanza" with a grain of salt: making a multiplatform title, even in the most current popular genre -shooters- doesn't assure a successful hit. F.E.A.R. 2 sales were weak in all platforms even with the previous success in the 2005 title, and ValVe's games usually are selling better in PC.

Yup, PC gamers just bring up things like Steam and such when it comes to all their game being absent on any top 10 lists, but i doubt DD sales are that high either. Like it or not, consoles are the future.Nidget

[QUOTE="skrat_01"]

*shrugs*

Most AAA budget games are multiplatform nowadays, unless its a title published and funded exclusively by a console manufacturer.

Not that its hurting the amount of quality of titles on the PC platform, at all.

ManicAce

Who is Brink?

[QUOTE="treedoor"]

And yet companies like Valve and Epic could produce AAA quality titles on very small budgets.

RadecSupreme

Very small budgets? Valve is not PC exclusive.

[QUOTE="hywel69"]

TOR, Secret War, SC2, Diablo, Aion etc say no.

I think cross platform games can be a good thing provided they use a good set of tools that allows EVERYONE to get a good experience. Notable exceptions include.

Orange Box on PS3

GTA4 on PC

Battle for Middle Earth on 360

All the above games are enjoyable on **some** platforms. This is not acceptable. Hopefully, x-platform tools from Epic and Crytek will address these issues.

PC gaming is insane atm, I'm just playing a new game called "Torchlight" which most people have never heard of; its a *good* Diablo clone. It's exclusive to PC, download only; frankly there's too many games out there for PC.

schu

Yea developing for the pc is a dead end road, a quick way for a company to go broke, just ask blizzard.

[QUOTE="wayne_kar"]

Does this mean the end of PC exclusives ?

AdrianWerner

So to sum up it means few big budgeted PC exclusives. There will always be some though, in genres that don't do well on consoles especially in MMORPGs or RTSes. Like for example Tera: Exiled Realms of Arborea, upcoming Korean MMORPG, PC exclusive, budget over30million $.

But generally PC exclusives, while numerous, will be from the small to medium category. Which isn't bad if you think about it, PCgaming has always been all about hardcore, complex, niche games and such games aren't possible to make if you're working with triple A budget

] While this is true, the existence of XBLA, PSN and WiiWare is a bit of an equalizer. A lot of the great budget PC games are coming to one or more of those download systems.

SakusEnvoy

And the PC devs who do happen to go to one of those services are the giants of PC indie world, the absolutely biggest and most well known companies from this segment.

[QUOTE="skrat_01"]

*shrugs*

Most AAA budget games are multiplatform nowadays, unless its a title published and funded exclusively by a console manufacturer.

Not that its hurting the amount of quality of titles on the PC platform, at all.

ManicAce

Exclusive sales on the whole don't justify triple A budgets. That's why most AAA games are multi-platform unless funded by the parent console company. PC doesn't have anyone like that really so ...

Espada12

"You just can't get the publisher budget to ever (use) an orchestra in London, and then go and record at Abbey Road and get the best voice actors if you're only going to release on the PC"

Just a thought: maybe don't blow all your money on the London Symphony Orchestra? Maybe also hire some GOOD voice actors instead of just famous ones? Like how Patrick Stewart was in Oblivion for like 5 minutes? Maybe Bethesda could have not paid him a gazillion dollars for a days worth of work, and maybe hired a hobo for twenty bucks/a sandwich?

PC games don't have the advantage of massive advertising campaigns like console games do, but I still think that developers can easily trim some fat off these so-called "rising development costs."

t3hTwinky

So essentially they are taking something that is true about all platforms and just saying it about PC?

So essentially they are taking something that is true about all platforms and just saying it about PC?

AnnoyedDragon

"Splash Damage boss Paul Wedgwood has said that exclusive-only projects simply cannot attract enough money from publishers to create triple-A results.

"About two or three years ago we realised that we really wouldn't survive if we only made exclusive games, since purely making exclusive games was incompatible with our goal of making triple-A games," said the developer, demoing current project Brink yesterday at the EG Expo in Leeds.

"You just can't get the publisher budget to ever use an orchestra in London, and then go and record at Abbey Road and get the best voice actors if you're only going to release as a exclusive, where there isn't the sales to justify that kind of work."

wayne_kar

Replace PC with exclusive and it sounds allot more accurate for today's game enviroment.