Double Fine’s Tim Schaefer revealed some surprising details about the studio’s exit from Xbox in a recent interview with BBC News. The executive acknowledged that the team learned about the possible closure online, not from company management. A clean break required difficult negotiations, after which the team regained its independence. Developers are particularly concerned about the long-term crisis in the labor market and the economic problems of the sector.
According to a development veteran, the current wave of layoffs has continued for four consecutive years. The game director emphasized that this situation is absurd in the context of record label revenue and the high popularity of interactive entertainment among audiences. He called banal greed by senior executives at one level of the system the only explanation for what happened. At the same time, the authors hope for a quick market recovery and point to the huge creative potential of independent markets.
When it comes to the independent industry, the manager refers to the risk of bankruptcy, not the risk of layoffs. However, despite any difficulties, dedicated experts continue to create games because they simply cannot imagine life without their favorite profession.