In his new video, veteran developer Tim Cain, author of the popular Fallout series, draws attention to a common problem in the gaming industry: Publishers and players tend to learn only from successes, ignoring the valuable lessons learned from unsuccessful projects.
Citing Alan Moore’s famous quote that negative inspiration from mediocre games can sometimes be more beneficial than classic ones, Caine argued that the games industry is plagued by “survivor bias.” According to him, publishers only judge success based on sales of hit games, while gamers demand “more of the same” without fully understanding what makes a good game.
As an alternative, developers recommend analyzing forgotten or failed games – e.g. Vikings: Battle for Asgard. Kane believes that understanding why projects fail and what technical or gameplay decisions prove to be wrong can give us a deeper understanding of game design, rather than blindly copying the formula for the next big game.