Ok, I got this idea off of the back of a cereal box. So lets say I am working at your company. I come up with some brilliant, innovative idea or product for the company and I want to support it or get the idea around. How does your company do it? Google handles innovation extremely well, look at all the different features they have because of it. It seems to make them succeed.

Innovation in the games industry comes with a big risk attached to it. Games companies are generally scared of deviating from what works and what makes them money. If you want support for a new concept, pitch it with a working demo that demonstrates the main USPs

We have a thing here called The Lab, which is basically a 6 month placement where a small team develop game prototypes to see if they are any good.

Some intresting ones have come out of them, one of which should be appearing on XBLA at some point this year.

Flexibility of new ideas and creativity is usually proportional to the financial health of the studio and publisher.

If either the studio or publisher are working within tight economic constraints that will affect creativity. They will more likely go with what they know the general public will like and enjoy and really that's not a bad thing. It's safe and sensible.

The time frame to make a game may be as short as 12 months so the time it takes to implement an idea or concept that is not a part of the strict work schedule has a lot of risk associated with it.

Other factors include:
- How relevant is your idea to the genre of game being developed? eg: Being able to pick up a flower in a space marine FPS is not relevant. A chainsaw machine-gun is.

- Where are you positioned in the studio? A new junior will have less direct input into a game then the creative director, regardless of how open to design choices the team is.

- Does the studio specialise? Have they made NRL games for 7 years and your pitching to make a real time strategy utilising a war between pigeons and hamsters...

- Are you pitching a design component or a whole game? Design components and feature requests are common things put forward and they sometimes go through to implementation if the lead designer likes it. If your pitching an entire game to a studio you better be a senior or lead. Otherwise you better have a very strong case including working demo samples.


The other way to get your idea out there is to fund it yourself. But for console games we are talking of development budgets in the millions. XNA / casual games are cheaper but can still run up to 2-3 million in cost.


This all isn't ment to be harsh. The industry does support innovation and new concepts. Games that stray from the norm are released. I would direct you to Valkeria Chronicles for the PS3; A well polished turn based game.

Quote: Original post by phantom
We have a thing here called The Lab, which is basically a 6 month placement where a small team develop game prototypes to see if they are any good.

Is that 6 month placement something everyone rotates through, or seen as a reward/status-symbol? Sounds a good idea.

Anyone can apply to rotate into it, although as to who gets in depends on other projects, timing etc.

So, I'm guessing that what the real answer is, is that innovatione is limited by money? Money really is a limiting factor, if only there was a risk-free way to support innovation.

My old company used to offer a $$$$ bonus if you wrote up an "invention disclosure" that they could turn into a gameplay-related patent... but that's just evil :/

Quote: Original post by Hodgman
My old company used to offer a $$$$ bonus if you wrote up an "invention disclosure" that they could turn into a gameplay-related patent... but that's just evil :/

At least they offered money.

Companies like THQ make you sign a contract that basically states that if you create any game or game related product, even if not in THQs work hours or equipment that it becomes their property by contact. For you to venture on your own projects is a conflict of interest. Therefore video game development becomes work and ONLY work.

Which is sad because I know lot of creative people who work at a THQ studio who have some great ideas but don't dare disclose or develop them because they didn't want to hand it over to a big publisher without negotiation or reward.

Quote: Original post by DesignerWatts

Quote: Original post by Hodgman
My old company used to offer a $$$$ bonus if you wrote up an "invention disclosure" that they could turn into a gameplay-related patent... but that's just evil :/

At least they offered money.

Companies like THQ make you sign a contract that basically states that if you create any game or game related product, even if not in THQs work hours or equipment that it becomes their property by contact. For you to venture on your own projects is a conflict of interest.

Such contract clauses are both common, and largely a scare tactic. I'm sure it varies from country to country but such 'unfair' clauses are typically very hard to enforce (unless you do something dumb like have a copy of your code on your work PC).