Originally posted by Hobo Misanthropus:

Originally posted by Vyktor:

I have a healthy cynicism born of 40 years of computer gaming industry experience and you wrongly assume people stop hurting you when you stop being a child.

That level of cynicism is only fostered in early childhood though. And Videogames have only been heavily monetized for like the last 10 years, "DLC" wasn't even a concept until the Xbox360. So my question stands as valid both unanswered and as an assertion.

I can out-cynic anyone. Don't get me started!

Too late

Saying nothing about present company, I think some of those who always take the straightest possible line from "There's something about this $20 unfinished game I don't like" to "The devs must be a gang of crooks!" are paid.

In fact, I sincerely and with best wishes hope that most of them are, because the alternative is that they are really unhappy and no one is even paying them.

Now, hold my beer, and I'll show you some cynicism: Big publishers have a revenue problem. AAA titles cost hundreds of millions just to develop, and then there's the advertising.

Meanwhile, players can afford to spend only so much on games every year. So if Big Gaming raises the price for a costly title, that won't increase the total revenue from players. If I blow my budget on one title, I'm done spending.

Which means they need other sources of revenue besides players. Cutting to the chase, they are under pressure to spy on us and sell our data.

I think indie games and the early-access, crowd-funded development model, with its ability to support rapid evolutionary development by a small team plus real gamers is a threat to the dump huge cash into one project ala Hollywood movies model.

So they are hiring people to trash indie games in general and, because of its success, Valheim in particular.

I'll take my beer back, now. You drank it? I'm not cynical enough, after all. ;)