Relearning lessons about quality

February 15, 2009

Brash is gone... and I think I know one BIG reason why. Variety had an interesting piece on the downfall of Brash Entertainment. The following quote made shivers run up and down my spine...

"More importantly, Brash quickly gained a reputation for pumping out low-quality titles for quick cash."
And my question is simple: WHY do we need to keep learning this lesson? I always tell the Producers I work with: "Focus on quality!" If you focus on making great games, the rest will mostly take care of it self. I'm not suggesting that your product will always come out on time, but when it comes to meeting or adjusting your schedule... you'll at least know that you're talking about a quality product.

I hate the idea of working hard on a game, fighting to get more time or to hit the schedule and then come to the realization that it didn't really matter because the product was bad from the outset.

I also tell Producers to never ever look into a bargain bin. They're bound to see a game they worked on, night and day with blood sweat AND tears, for $2.49.

Your thoughts?

1 comments:

Unknown said...

It's true, not only in game development, but in every aspect of life. Cream always rises to the top... and you'll never take a hit for insisting on top quality, whereas if you are willing to settle for second best, that's what you'll end up with, and people are rarely happy with that, even if they are screaming about deadlines and budgets.

I think one of the (many) reasons the American auto industry is in such desperate straights is because they forgot that customers always want quality and value, and they focused on just pumping out crappy cars that fall apart and have built-in obsolescence. So sad. The imports that focused on quality remain steady sellers, even in a down economy.