Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum
There is many examples of indie companies developing games for a small market, the key is to find a good publisher and keep constant feedback with the fans.
Because I'm a MMO fan I can give as a quick example example Darkfall and the notorius EVE who won the game of the year 2009 prize. EVE is not a popular game, actually is a hardcore one, but with a great and intelligent community. CCP, the developers of EVE, was a very small indie company few years ago and with EVE they become the most successful story in the MMO industry after WoW.
Of course, there is a very hard work and risk involved in such an adventure. But SH has constant fanbase and even on fails they are still playing and love the game. We have no other sub sim around, so the risk in loosing money is pretty small compared with EVE where they had to fight with a colossus like Blizzard &WoW. And if they manage to keep the communication gates open non-stop with the fans, it's a win-win situation.
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YES!!
CCP was NOT a big company when EVE first came out. Small dev that has grown quite large BY LISTENING TO THEIR FAN BASE.
Another fine example is Cornered Rat Software that has continued to support and grow WWII Online over 7 years now (or is it 8 years?). They are ACTIVELY involved with the subscriber based. Are they perfect No.... but they are still around after all these years, and about to release a MAJOR upgrade to the game. Are they a HUGE developer now?? No... but does their game satisfy the niche market for a MMO WWII simulation and make them a decent living...YES.
Why the devs and UBI did NOT listen to us, igonored ALL that was good about GWX, RFB, TM... and totally trash the UI, and NOT fix bugs that have carried over from SH 3 is beyond me. How can you hope for success like this??