Warren Spector Warns Hardcore Gamers About His Next Game

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Warren Spector Warns Hardcore Gamers About His Next Game


Famed designer Warren Spector has warned that hardcore gamers may not be too happy when they hear what he's working on for his next project.

"I think people are going to be very surprised when they hear what I'm working on," Spector said in an interview with Forbes [http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/09/29/hardcore-casual-gamer-tech-personal-cx_cm_0930hardcore.html]. "I'm sure a lot of the hardcore folks are going to be up in arms and I'm really looking forward to getting into that discussion with them. I don't believe I'm compromising on my gameplay ideals at all. [But] any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."

Spector's System Shock [http://www.junctionpoint.com/]. "I love working with Disney because I'm so tired of making games about guys in black leather carrying guns," he said at the time. "I don't want to make those anymore."

The article says the hardcore demographic has long been a secondary consideration for major game publishers, citing the success of Spore [http://thesims.ea.com/], which has been heavily criticized for "simplistic" and "shallow" gameplay but nonetheless broke one million copies sold in only three weeks.

Spector said the shifting gamer demographic means the relevance of the hardcore gamer has been reduced considerably. "At the risk of alienating all of the people who paid my mortgage all these years, they can't be [as relevant]," he said. "We are in a commercial art form, which means you have to focus on the mainstream if you are playing in that game space."

Nonetheless, he added that hardcore gamers will be fine in the long run, they may just have to adjust to the idea of not being serviced by the industry heavyweights. "The hardcore is completely safe," Spector said. "They are less relevant to major publishers, but they are more relevant to independent developers."


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Joeshie

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Oct 9, 2007
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Great, another developer has sold out. And not just any developer; it's Warren fuckin' Spector.

Just another step on the path towards the video game industry becoming as shitty as the music and movie industry.
 

Gxas

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Sep 4, 2008
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Joeshie post=7.72952.778996 said:
Great, another developer has sold out. And not just any developer; it's Warren fuckin' Spector.

Just another step on the path towards the video game industry becoming as shitty as the music and movie industry.
I thought we passed that mark a while ago.
 

meatloaf231

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Feb 13, 2008
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Joeshie post=7.72952.778996 said:
Great, another developer has sold out. And not just any developer; it's Warren fuckin' Spector.

Just another step on the path towards the video game industry becoming as shitty as the music and movie industry.
He said he was tired of making games revolving around men in black leather carrying guns. What's wrong with that? It's not selling out. It's the equivalent of the Coen brothers making a comedy because they are tired of dark movies.

Oh wait.
 

Lvl 64 Klutz

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Apr 8, 2008
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"...any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."

Apparently if you're an artist who, you know, simply enjoys making art, you're nuts. >_<
 

stompy

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Jan 21, 2008
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Gxas post=7.72952.779009 said:
Joeshie post=7.72952.778996 said:
Great, another developer has sold out. And not just any developer; it's Warren fuckin' Spector.

Just another step on the path towards the video game industry becoming as shitty as the music and movie industry.
I thought we passed that mark a while ago.
Nah, we've still got a while to go. I mean, the hard core audience isn't marginalised yet. Well, completely marginalised.
 

Blayze

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Dec 19, 2007
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"...any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."
And here I was thinking that making a game that appealed to people who would want to play that game was the way to do it.
 

Zombie_King

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May 26, 2008
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"...warned that hardcore gamers...hardcore folks...hardcore demographic...hardcore gamer...hardcore gamers...hardcore"

I'm sorry, what? I think we're getting too far into this whole 'hardcore' thing. Us people who own 360's, PS3's and the like should be called 'regular gamers.' People who play on their iPhones and computer should be called 'softcore.' Why can us supposed 'hardcore' gamers only play any FPS where we kill five people a second? I've played Bejewled and other indie games on my phone, so am I less of a gamer? I enjoy fragging people in Halo and making houses in the Sims, so am I a paradox? No, I am a gamer.
 

Aries_Split

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May 12, 2008
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I still love Warren Spector. This will not affect my shrine of him.


At all.

Still, I'm glad he's broadening his horizons.
 

Sigenrecht

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Mar 17, 2008
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Well, at least he's decided to turn his piercing gaze elsewhere before his lack of interest started effecting the games with men in black leather coats... with guns. Really, if he'd been losing his grasp there, at least he's going somewhere else before it stains his record with beautiful games like System Shock and Deus Ex.
 
Nov 28, 2007
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Sigenrecht post=7.72952.780301 said:
Well, at least he's decided to turn his piercing gaze elsewhere before his lack of interest started effecting the games with men in black leather coats... with guns. Really, if he'd been losing his grasp there, at least he's going somewhere else before it stains his record with beautiful games like System Shock and Deus Ex.
I have to agree with you there. Come on, people, you really want him to continue making your games when his heart's not in it?
 

ElArabDeMagnifico

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Dec 20, 2007
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I hope he goes crazy with his idea and makes it original like how the gaming world use to be. You can do that with a disney game if you wanted. (Though, "PURE" seems to be published by disney too... o_O )

Remember when an earthworm in a spacesuit was considered "normal" back then?
 
Nov 28, 2007
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Ah, Earthworm Jim. Never actually played it, but heard good things about it. *grumbles about the fact that he had a Super Nintendo, and his cousin never bought it, but bought that crappy Star Trek game*
 

HypnoToad

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Mar 9, 2008
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Malygris post=7.72952.778735 said:
"I don't believe I'm compromising on my gameplay ideals at all. [But] any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."
Isn't this kind of like saying country and gospel music is the most popular therefore all artists should be in that genre? I don't think you can have an opinion like that and call yourself an artist...

In fact, if all you really care about is making money you should probably stop developing games altogether and pick up some guitar books instead ^^
 

SimuLord

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Aug 20, 2008
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Spector's probably just as tired of whiny "hardcore" fanboys as anyone else would be. He probably looks at what Will Wright and Sid Meier are doing and thinks "Fuck, I want to be that famous."

I think Spector's going through the same creative thought process Stevie Wonder went through after Songs in the Key of Life. To be remembered as an artist is all well and good, but to be a top-selling famous artist? You can enjoy that while you're alive.
 

SamLowry

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Aug 27, 2008
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The guy, who invented DeusEx, is - at least for me - by definition famous.
Well... we saw what became of Spore... a - mark my words - ephemera. Literally!
I played it for exactly one day. Then I knew I had seen everything it has to offer.

If Spector goes for casual, no-brain-thinking involved casual games, he might as well take his money and invest it abroad. This would at least spare us another crapgame.
Then, again, he really doesn't have to repeat games about guys with guns in black leather jackets. A funny game about a guy who wants to be a pirate, but looks like a librarian would do as well. (Or something in that range).
 

dekkarax

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Apr 3, 2008
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stompy post=7.72952.779587 said:
Gxas post=7.72952.779009 said:
Joeshie post=7.72952.778996 said:
Great, another developer has sold out. And not just any developer; it's Warren fuckin' Spector.

Just another step on the path towards the video game industry becoming as shitty as the music and movie industry.
I thought we passed that mark a while ago.
Nah, we've still got a while to go. I mean, the hard core audience isn't marginalised yet. Well, completely marginalised.
Still, It's pretty much too late to stop now.