Capcom warns developers: sell-out and you'll get buried
Publisher says that when it comes to pitching projects, a studio needs to stick to its original idea or risk being trampled
Adam Boyes, business development director for Capcom USA, has warned independent developers that if they don't stick to their original ideas when pitching a project to a publisher, they will soon go out of business.
Boyes said that an independent needs to be strong in a pitch, and argue its point well if a publisher decides to pick apart the developer's ideas.
"Don't bow down and say "yes master, whatever you want." Look to all the big guys out there – BioWare, Insomniac, all these huge developers – they didn't get there by doing any old project that came their way," said Boyes, in an exclusive interview published today.
"They chose their battles, they chose their projects and they stuck with them. Whore yourself and you'll get buried," he warned.
Boyes said that Capcom favours great game mechanics over technical skills when assessing new projects, and forthcoming titles Bionic Commando and Dark Void are evidence of that philosophy in action.
"We're all about mechanics as a company. Really great, solid game design and fantastic mechanics, which I believe is the Japanese way.
"Even with Dark Void, the game we're doing with Crimson Skies' team Airtight Studios, the mechanics were so essential to nail down. And Bionic Commando too – get the mechanics down and then build the world.
"If developers come along and talk about how it's got a gun from this game and an element from that other game, it's not different. It needs to have elements that have that X-plus-one factor. It's needs to blow people away especially as it has Capcom's name behind it. That's a big deal," he added.
The full interview with Boyes can be read here.