They should worry less about marketing and stop trying to please everyone. They should just do a damn good game that they are proud to call their own. A great game is a work of art, and although good commercial artists are aware of their public sensibilities, they do not keep trying to please everyone, they do what they think is best.
Look at Diablo 3. It is a game that never left development and that it is still mediocre. A game without vision nor personality with Blizzard trying to run after all their fans in all directions. The amount of time and money they placed in that game after launch is scary and the title still fails to impress.
They will never do a great game if they worry too much about the market and the marketing.
The more they care about it, the less interesting are their games. Focus on gameplay, people. Man, I hate marketing driven companies (and I am a marketing professional). They just lose their soul.
It may also be just a marketing ploy to appease the fans with very little actual influence on the matter. Which is also terrible.
TLDR: this pool is a bad idea if they do not intend to listen and an even worse idea if they do.
Look at Diablo 3. It is a game that never left development and that it is still mediocre. A game without vision nor personality with Blizzard trying to run after all their fans in all directions. The amount of time and money they placed in that game after launch is scary and the title still fails to impress.
They will never do a great game if they worry too much about the market and the marketing.
The more they care about it, the less interesting are their games. Focus on gameplay, people. Man, I hate marketing driven companies (and I am a marketing professional). They just lose their soul.
It may also be just a marketing ploy to appease the fans with very little actual influence on the matter. Which is also terrible.
TLDR: this pool is a bad idea if they do not intend to listen and an even worse idea if they do.